QUINOA SALAD WITH BLACK BEANS

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Quinoa cooked
1/2 cup cooked black beans, rinsed if canned 

1 tomato chopped 

1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves

Salt as per taste

Pepper as per taste
For dressing
2 limes , or to taste
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin powder

1/2tsp pepper flakes

1/4 cup olive oil
  

Method

Cook quinoa as per instructions ( you can check the cooking method in this blog) 

In a big bowl toss cooked quinoa, black beans , tomatoes. 
Make dressing:
In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, salt, and cumin , pepper flakes and add oil in a stream, whisking.
Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste.
Salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

METHI LEAVES RICE

 

 

Ingredients

 

2 cups Basmati rice cooked

1 1/2 cups methi leaves chopped

2 onions thinly sliced

2 green chillies chopped finely

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 cardamom

2 bay leaves

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

 

Method

 

Wash and cut the methi leaves and keep aside.

Take a heavy bottomed pan , add oil and after it is medium hot add cumin seeds.

Let it splutter, now add cardamom and bay leaves , saute for 20 seconds.

Add sliced onions , green chill , saute until until light brown.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute until raw sell goes off.

Add the methi leaves and saute until it shrinks.

Add chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and saute for 3 minutes.

Now add the cooked rice , give it a gentle stir and do not break the rice.

Close it with  tight lid and cook for 1510-15 minutes in low flame.

Now add the cooked basmati rice, give it a gentle stir.

Yummy, delicious and healthy rice is ready.

Serve it with pickle and curd.

 

 

PRAWN FRY

Ingredients

500 gms Prawn cleaned and deveined
1 tbsp  chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp pepper powder or as per your taste
Salt as per taste
6-7 curry leaves
2 tbsp olive oil

Method

Combine all the ingredients and make a paste. 
Marinate the prawns with this paste and keep aside for half an hour. 
Heat oil in a pan , add curry leaves , add marinated prawns and shallow fry it for 5-7 minutes.
If you fry it for long, the prawns will become hard.
Serve hot with steamed rice and enjoy this spicy and tasty prawn fry. 
Notes: Using coconut oil will enhance the flavor.

MASALA RAVA UPMA

Ingredients

1cup Rava roasted

1  onion finely chopped

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

3 1/2 cups Water 

1 small carrot finely chopped

1/4 cup Green peas 

2-3 nos Green chillies  ( add more if u want more spicy)

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1tsp Mustard seeds 

1 tsp Urad dal 

1 tsp garam masala powder

6-8 nos Curry leaves 

2 tsp Ghee

Salt as per taste
Coriander leaves – 1/4 bunch

Method

Dry roast rava for 5-7 minutes in low flame without changing its color.Rava will be non-sticky after roasting. Set aside. 
Heat a non  stick kadai, add ghee and mustard seeds, ural dal, curry leaves.
After the dals turn golden brown , add chopped onion. Saute well till onion turns transparent.
Now add ginger garlic paste , saute until raw smell goes off.
Add chopped carrots, peas and chillies, saute on low flame.
Add turmeric powder, garam masla powder , fry for 30 seconds.
Add 3 1/2 cups water along with salt and boil, simmer the flame and add rava slowly using one hand and stir the mixture using other hand.
Mix well and add chopped coriander leaves and close the kadai with a lid.
Let it cook for 5-8 minutes on medium flame, stir once or twice in the middle.
Now upma will be non sticky to touch and it starts to roll in the pan leaving the sides. Make sure it has some moisture content in it, switch off the flame and enjoy your masala rava upma. Yummy !!!!!!!

 

 

PANEER TAVA MASALA

I have tried so many panner dishes, but this dish caught my attention as it had ajwain in it. I thought adding ajwain will give the dish a different taste . It really gives a unique taste. I made this paneer dish and surprisingly everybody at my house liked it.

 

Ingredients

2cups Paneer (cubed)
1tbsp Kasuri methi
1/4tsp Turmeric powder
2tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tbsp Chaat masala
1/2tsp Cumin seeds + Ajwain seeds
2 nos Onions chopped
2nos Garlic cloves chopped finely
1-2tsp  Coriander powder
3/4cup Tomato puree (prepared with 5 ripen tomatoes)
3tbsp Fresh cream
1 tsp Garam masala
1 tbsp Oil
Coriander leaves (chopped)

Method

Marinate the cubed paneer with 1 tsp chili powder, chaat masala, salt and turmeric powder with few drops of oil (added few drops of oil, thats the way the paneer get well coated with the spices). Keep them aside half an hour.

Heat few tsp of oil and fry the marinated paneer cubes until they turns brown on both side, keep aside.

Heat oil in the same kadai, add the cumin and ajwain seeds. 

Add the chopped onions, garlic saute everything well until the onions turns transculent.

Now add the coriander powder , fry and add  tomato puree and bring everything to boil, cook until the oil get separated from the gravy.

Add remaining chili powder and garam masala, fry well along with tomato paste. 

Add the already fried paneer cubes  to the gravy, cook for few minutes.
Finally add the cream, give a stir.

Add the chopped coriander leaves and put off the stove.

Serve it hot with roti . 

Note - you can add tomato paste and chilli powder according to your taste. 

Mango puliserry

One of the traditional curry dishes in Kerala is ripe mango pulissery. It is a side dish with minimum requirements which our grand mothers made in olden days. Mangoes are very easily available in the backyard of every houses in Kerala. The dish is very sweet one. This is also a common dish in Kerala sadhya . The sweetness of ripe mangoes and sourness of curd gives this puliserry a unique taste. 

Ingredients

1 cup ripe mango cut into small cubes

1 tsp chili powder

pinch Turmeric

Salt to taste

2 cups Plain Yogurt

1/2 cup Grated coconut

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Tempering : -

1 tbsp Small onion chopped

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

2 nos Dried red chillies

Curry leaves

Method

Grind grated coconut with cumin seeds , turmeric and salt to a fine paste.

Whisk Yogurt without adding water until it is smooth.

Cook ripe mango pieces with chilli powder and turmeric with a cup of water till it is tender.

Switch off the flame , let it stand for 2-3 minutes and then add Coconut paste

Bring to boil and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

In a very low heat add the yogurt and stir continuously and let heat through for a minute or two.( make sure the heat is low so that it wont curdle). Remove from heat.

Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds . When they pop up add fenugreek seeds and fry for 20 seconds . Add dried red chillies , chopped shallots and curry leaves and fry it for a minute or two. 

Pour over pulissery and serve.

UDIPI SAMBHAR

Udipi sambhar is very famous in restaurants . When we go fir our vacation to Mumbai we go yo eat masala dosa especially for the sambhar. My kids love it. So I thought , why not prepare this at my house and give my kids. 

Ingredients

1 cup toor dal 

2 small brinjals - chopped

1 drumstick  cut into 2"long pieces 

lemon sized tamarind ball soaked in 1/2 cup water

2 green chilies - slit at the end

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

asafoetida - a pinch

salt to taste

1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp jaggery

 

 

To Fry & Grind :
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp urad dal
6-7 dry red chilies
2 tsp coriander seeds
10 curry leaves
 

Method

Pressure cook toor dal with 2 cups of water for 3-4 whistles.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once pressure settles, remove the lid and mash the dal. Keep it aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan or kadhai. Add fenugreek seeds, urad dal and coriander seeds. Add curry leaves and broken chilies. Saute a while.
Add coconut and fry for a minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Grind in a mixer adding little water to smooth paste. Keep it aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in pan or kadhai , add mustard seeds.
Add chopped vegetables and fry for a min.  ( I usually add carrots, potatoes too ). Add 1 cup water and cook it covered on medium flame for 5 mins.
Add tamarind squeezed water, turmeric powder and mix well.
Add little salt and cook for a minute.
Add mashed dal, jaggery and salt. Cook it covered for 2 mins. ( the quantity of jaggery depends on you, how much sweet the sambhar should be)
Add grounded paste and 1-2 cup water.
Cook it covered on low flame for 10-15 mins.
Serve hot with rice or idli/dosa.