Neychoru (Ghee Rice)

Preparation Time: 20 min

Cooking time: 15 min

Serves: 6

Ingredients measure:-

Basmati Rice : 3 cups

Big Onion: 4 medium

Turmeric: 2 tsp

Ghee : 6 tbsp

Cinamon bars: 2 medium broken

Bay Leaf: 2 broken

Cashewnut: 4 tsp

Permitted food colour: 1 tsp

Fresh Water: 7 Cups

Preparation:-

1)      In a kadai, pour 2 tbsp Ghee and spoon in all the spices.
2)      After the spices are fried up a bit, Dump in half portion of the onions and sauté till translucent.
3)      Spoon in turmeric and salt and then saute.
4)      Fry the thoroughly washed and strained basmati rice in the above mix for 5 mins.
5)      Add 7 cups of fresh water to the above and 1 tsp permitted food colour, then cook the items closed in slow flame.
6)      Check in between and add water if required.
7)      In the meantime fry the onions and cashews in ghee or cooking oil and keep it aside.
8)      After the rice is cooked up garnish it with the fried items and coriander leaves.
9)      Serve hot with a spicy non-veg gravy and cucumber salad.

Idli (Rounded Rice-Dal Cakes)

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 5 min

Serves: 3

Ingredients measure:-

Idli Rice(Pachari) : 3 cups

Urad Dal: ¾  cup

Cooked rice: 2 tbsp

Salt: 1 tbsp

Gingely Oil: 1 cup

Preparation:-

1)      Through wash first and soak (min 4 hrs) the first two ingredients separately in a vessel in 6 cups of fresh water.
2)      Strain the water and grind half portions one at a time with 1 tbsp cooked rice and sufficient water (water level till the rice and dal is immersed completely) in a mixer/ wet grinder.
3)      Mix with fresh water and salt and then gently fold the batter without disturbing the air bubbles much.
4)      Keep the grinded batter for one night closed in room temperature.(For cold climate places, the batter won’t ferment, so its advised to add 1 -2 tsp baking soda and keep the batter overnight to achieve the desired result).
5)      Pour 1 ¼  ladle of batter to the holes of idli cooker already drizzled with gingely oil.
6)      After filling all the holes in levels with the batter, put the setting in Idli cooker and close the lid.
7)      Cook in slow flame for 30 mins approx., alternatively you can insert a fork into the idli and it should come out clean.
8)      Serve hot with chutney/ chammanthi or sambar.

Note:- The fermentation of the batter is really important to get fluffy idlies. Take extra care to grind urad and rice dal separately. Also grind the urad dal longer to get fluffy idlies. Also remember to use fresh water, as chlorinated water sometimes destroy the air bubbles thus hindering the fermentation. Natural Fermentation is the best and yield nice taste. Try to avoid baking soda fermentation as much as possible.

Sharkara Ari Paysam (Jaggery Rice Sweet)

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking time: 10min

Serves: 8

Ingredients measure:-

Brown Rice : 2 cups

Jaggery: 350 gm grated

Sugar : 2 tbsp

Ghee : 2 tbsp

Cardamom crushed: 2 tsp

Raisins: 2 tsp

Cahewnut: 2 tsp

Coconut milk-half cup grated- first punch(onnam pal)- 1 cup

Coconut milk- second punch(randam pal)- 2 cups

Preparation:-

1)      Pressure cook the rice well and keep it aside to whistle to go off.
2)      Strain it and cook it in a vessel with 2 cups water.
3)      In a kadai, pour 1 cup water and dissolve the jaggery allow it to take a semi thick form.
4)      Strain it straightaway into the cooking rice.
5)      Spoon in crushed cardamom and sugar and allow it to cook.
6)      Wait till all the liquids are absorbed and then pour second coconut milk and simmer the flame.
7)      At the same time fry the cashew and raisins in ghee and keep it aside as such.
8)      When the second coconut milk is also almost absorbed, pour in the first milk too.
9)      Keep on stirring and drop in the fried cashew and raisins with ghee.
10)  Mix it well and switch off the flame when it turns to a semi thick.
11)  Serve hot or chilled

Note:- To make coconut milk- In a mixie, grind one cup grated coconut with half cup water and sieve to get the first milk. Then again grind the residual grinded coconut with two cups water and sieve to get second milk.

On pouring the first milk take extra cake to stir and cook in slow flame or else the dish will be a mess.

Pazham Kanji (Left Over Rice In Brine)

Preparation Time: 10 min+ overnight

Cooking Time: 5 min

Serves: 3

Ingredients measure:-

Brown Rice : 2 cups

Water: Sufficient for batter

Small Onion: ½  cup crushed

Kanthari(Thai pepper): 3-4 crushed[I used normal green chilly as it was not available here]

Rock Salt: 1 tbsp

Oil : 1 tbsp

Preparation:-

1)      Crush Thai pepper and small onion.
2)      Keep it aside.
3)      Pressure cook rice with 4 cups water.(rice shouldn’t be overcooked)
4)      Wait for the whistle to go off and strain the rice.
5)      Take a earthern pot and pour 5 cups water and dump in the strained rice.
6)      Spoon in 1 tbsp rock salt and the crushed items.
7)      Leave it overnight, with the earthern pot closed.
8)      Next morning, have it with sour broken curd curry/ chammathi(chutneys)/any sour curries.

Lauki Dal Ka Sabji (Bottle Gourd Dal Semi Dry Curry)

Preparation Time: 20 min

Cooking Time: 10 min

Serves: 8

Ingredients measure:-

For pressure cook:

Toor Dal : 1 cup

Lauki(Bottle Gourd): 2 cups chopped as cubes

Salt: acc to taste

For Frying:

Big Onion : 2 cut lengthwise

Tomato : 2 cut lengthwise

Green Chilly :  2 split lengthwise

Garlic : 2 tsp crushed

Turmeric powder : ¼ tsp

Red Chilly powder : 1 tsp

Coriander Powder: 1 ½ tsp

Salt : Acc to taste

Cumin seeds : 1 tsp

Asafetida(hing): 1 pinch

Corainder leaves : 2 tsp

Preparation:-

1)      Pressure cook the items under pressure cook listed above for 1 whistle.
2)      Keep it aside.
3)      In Kadai, Pour 2 tsp oil and splutter the cumin seeds and Asafetida.
4)      Saute Big onion, Green chilly and ginger garlic paste accordingily till translucent.
5)      Spoon in Coriander powder and sauté followed by Red Chilly powder and Turmeric.
6)      Put tomato and 1 cup water to allow the mix to blend and mash well.
7)      Mix in the pressure cooked items to the above and mix well.
8)      Add sufficient salt and allow the water level to come down.
9)      Make it to a semidry state.
10)  Pour it in a casserole and garnish with coriander leaves.

Kalleparathi(Hand Tossed sweet Wheat PanCake)

Preparation Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 5 min

Serves: 3

Ingredients measure:-

Atta(Wheat Flour) : 2 cups

Jaggery Grated: 1 cup

Water: Sufficient for batter

Grated Coconut: ½  cup

Sugar: 1 tbsp

Oil : 1 tbsp

Preparation:-

1)      Whisk all of the above together except oil to a form a not so loose batter.
2)      Keep it aside for a while.
3)      Heat a tawa well and sprinkle some fresh water with hand to check the sizzling sound.
4)      Pour 2 ladle of batter to the tawa and toss it with a wet hand(dip hand in water and toss) as in image.
5)      Drizzle 1-2 tsp oil over the top and flip it to cook both the sides.
6)      Take it out the tawa to get Kalleparathi.

Note:-Kalleparathi is a Malayalam word which literally means spreading the batter with hand in a tawa. 

Canned Tuna Fusion (Semi Dry)

Preparation Time: 20 min

Cooking Time: 10 min

Serves: 8

Ingredients measure:-

Big Onion: 4 medium cut lengthwise.

Green Chilly : 2 splited lengthwise.

Tomato: 3 medium cut lengthwise

Capcicum: 2 medium cut as cubes
Potatoes: 3 medium cut as cubes

Canned Tuna: 2 cans

Branded Chicken Masala powder: 2 tsp

Garam Masala: 1/2 tso

Pepper : 2 tbsp

Salt: to taste

Oil: 3 tbsp coconut oil

Preparation:-

1)      Pour oil and splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies.
2)      Saute capsicum,Big Onion, Ginger garlic paste, Potatoes  and tomatoes.
3)      Add sufficient salt and spoon in the chicken masala powder and garam masala.
4)      Saute till translucent and potatoes boil well.
5)      Add 1 cup water and make the mix mushy(Do this if u don’t like the semi raw crunchy onion, tomato taste)
6)      To this add canned tuna as such.
7)      Saute for 10 mins with sauting in between.
8)      Garnish with pepper, 1 tsp chicken masala and coriander leaves.