Pongal with left over rice

This is another recipe with left over rice. When my family members get bored with lemon rice with left over rice, the next best option for me is to make pongal. Trust me. No one will recognise that this is made with left over rice.

Pongal with left over rice

Ingredients:
Cooked rice – 2 cups
Moong daal (skin less) / Pesara pappu – 1 cup
Green chilli – 2
Grated ginger – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sring
Pepper corns – 1 tsp
Cashew nuts – 8-10
Cumin – 1 tsp
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Salt

Method:
Wash and soak the moong daal in 3 cups of water for about 1 hour.
Now mix the moong daal along with cooked rice and salt. You can either cook this in a pressure cooker or even in normal deep pan. Once it is done, keep it aside.
Melt the ghee in a small sauce pan. Add the cashews, grated ginger, green chili, cumin, pepper corns and curry leaves, one after the other. Saute for a while until cashews turn light golden colour.
Remove from the fire and add this seasoning to the pongal. Stir every thing and serve it hot..

Pongal Vada with Sambar and Coconut chutney

Methi thepla with Bajra flour

This is a Gujarathi recipe made using bajra flour or with combination of wheat flour and chickpea flour. Fresh methi and sesame seeds are the main ingredients of this recipe.

Methi thepla

Ingredients:
Fresh Fenugreek chopped (Methi) – ½ cup
Bajra flour – 2 cups
Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
Chili powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Sugar – pinch (Optional)
Yogurt – 2 tbsp
Salt

Method:
Mix all the above ingredients into a soft dough which is similar to chapathi dough, by adding enough water.

Ready to make the dough

Divide the dough into 8 equal balls

Roll them into thin discs either by sprinkling the flour or roll them using little bit of oil. What I did is, just place the dough in between two plastic sheets and roll.

Thepla dough pressed between two plastic sheets

Gently lift the thepla into one hand and place it on the hot tawa. Drizzle some oil and cook the thepla until it is done. You will feel the nice aroma of roasted sesame seeds and the methi flavour.

Serve them warm with any raita or even plain yogurt. You know what.. they will taste even better on the next day because of the chewy nature.

Warm methi thepla

Note: Sugar not only suppresses the bitter taste of methi leaves, but also will enhance the taste. As we are using other spices, sesame seeds and most mportantly methi leaves, they will over ride the sugar taste.

Pappula Podi / Roasted Chickpea Powder

An easy peasy spicy powder that can be prepared with out any cooking. Pappula podi is a versatile spiced powder that can be eaten with tiffin varieties like upma, dosa or idly. Any vegetable stir fry that is seasoned with this spicy powder will get enhanced flavor and brings an unique taste.

Roasted chickpea powder / Pappula podi, Spicy Coconut powder / Kobbari podi, Verusenagala podi / Peanut powder

Ingredients:
Roasted Chickpea - ½ cup
Garlic pods – 2-3
Red Chili  - 3 to 4 or Chili powder – 3/4th tsp
Desiccated Coconut - 1 – 2 tsp (optional)
Salt

Roasted chickpea / Putnalu, Garlic pods and red chili

Grind all the ingredients into fine powder.

Note: For making any spicy powders, do not remove the skin for the garlic pods. The garlic skin will enhance the flavour.

Flower decoration

Another Summer flowers decoration with mustards

Vinaayaka chavithi

This is the festival which is the kids favourite. When I was a child, this is the most favourite festival for me. The reason is, unlike the other festivals where there is no involvement of kids, in this festival kids play an  important role by involving in lots of activities like collecting the pathri (leaves), decorating their books with swasthik, making the sandal wood paste, also making the moorthy with mud and decorate it as per their imagination.

As mom's part, she prepares five varieties of sweets and offer five varities of fruits as Lord Ganesh is fond of food. Ofcourse it is us who eats all those food. Oh., this description is nothing. Bottom line., I still have the same enthusiasm towards this festival.

I still love to do the moorthy by myself. I made the Ganesha moorthy with turmeric and decorated with Kumkum.

I have got a good collection of Ganesha moorthys. So celebrated the festival with all of them along with my hand made Go green Ganesh.

Veg Manchuria

This is one of the Indo Chinese starter also a great party appetizer. You can have it as a starter or as a side dish for any roti varieties. Though it is bit hard job, it is worth of making.

For the veg balls
Grated vegetables of your choice – 2 cups ( I have used cabbage, cauliflower, carrots)
Chopped Spring onion – ½ cup
Chopped green chilli – 1 tbsp
Soya sauce – 1 tbsp
Salt
Ajinimotto – 1/8th tsp
Corn flour – 2 tbsp
Boiled rice – ½ cup
Chopped ginger (Finely) -1/2 tbsp

For the Manchurian sauce
Chilli flakes – 1 tbsp
Chopped green chilli – 1 tbsp
Corn flour – 1 tsp (heaped)
Chopped Spring onion – ½ cup
Onion – 1 (Sliced)
Capsicum – 1 small (Sliced)
Tomato ketchup – 1 tbsp
Soya sauce – 1 tbsp
Salt
Ajinimotto – 1/8th tsp
Chopped ginger (Finely) -1 tbsp

Method:
Steam the vegetables by adding 2 cups of water for about 5 minutes under medium flame. Allow them to cool and drain all the water. Store this water to prepare the sauce. Now to the drained vegetables add corn flour, salt, chopped chilli, ginger, ajinimoto, soya sauce, boiled rice and mix every thing with out any lumps.

 

Mixed vegetables with boiled rice, cornflour, chili, ginger, salt, soya sauce and spring onion

Take small amounts of the mixture and make round balls.

 Veg balls ready to fry

Deep fry the veg balls and keep them aside.

 

Fried veg balls

To prepare the sauce, add 2 tbsp of oil and add chopped ginger, green chilli and capsicum and fry for 1 minute. Now add onion slices, chopped spring onion, tomato ketchup, chilli flakes, soya sauce, salt, ajinimotto and fry for another minute or so. Pour the vegetable stock and mix every thing. Now add corn flour to ¼ cup of water, mix thoroughly and add to the sauce. Cook the sauce until it leaves the raw taste and slightly thickens.

 Manchuria sauce

Add the veg balls just before serving, to retain the crunchiness.

 Ready to serve

Bindi curry – Bendakaaya mudda koora

This is in between the gravy and dry variety. This can go well with either rice or roti.

Ingredients:
Okra – 250 gms
Onion – 1
Tomato - 1
Aamchur powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Chili powder – ½ to 1 tsp
Roaster peanuts – 1 tbsp
Grated dry coconut – 1 tbsp
Garlic – 2 cloves
Salt

Method:
Cut each bindi into 3-4 pieces.
Cut onion into big cubes. More or less the same size as bindi.
Grind 1 tbsp of desiccated coconut and 1 tbsp of roasted peanuts along with 2 garlic cloves.
Heat a wide pan with 2 tbsp of oil. When it is hot enough, add chana daal, cumin, red chilli and curry leaves. Now add onion and fry for a minute.
Add okra and fry for 2 minutes. Now add chopped tomato, stir and cover the pan with lid. Allow it to get cooked with the steam for about 5 minutes.
When the okra is half done, add salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, aamchur powder add the ground coconut and peanut powder. Sprinkle some water, about 4-5 tbsp, stir every thing and cover it.
Cook the curry until okra is tender and the curry becomes thick.

 Bendakaya mudda koora with rice