Thakkali saadham / Tomato rice

 

I brought some attractive, reddish, juicy and ripe tomatoes. They looked very beautiful, I enjoyed clicking them :). I have two people in my home who love tomatoes crazily- my mom and my hubby. My mom's vegetable shopping is never complete without buying tomatoes and so is Rajender. Both of them love dishes made with tomato too.

The scientific name of tomato is Solanum lycopersicum. It is also called as love apple (!!!). Tomato plant is grown world-wide for its edible fruits.  There are 7500 varieties of tomatoes (surprising isn't it ?). Tomatoes are rich in lycopene which is a powerful anti-oxidant. The lycopene in tomatoes are better absorbed by our body when they are cooked or preserved. Lycopene offers protection against neurodegenerative diseases and some forms of cancer. Tomatoes are also rich in vitamin C and vitamin A. 

The tomato rice I prepare will be more like a biriyani. I love the version without much spices too. Actually this recipe is very easy and can be prepared in a few minutes time.  Try this one-pot dish for a healthy, easy and enjoyable meal.

Ingredients :

Tomatoes- 4 nos

Onion-1 no

Basmati rice- 2 cups

Garlic- 4 pods

Ginger- 1/2 inch piece

Green chillies- 4 nos

Cardamom- 2 nos

Cloves- 3 nos

Cinnamon- 1/2 inch piece

Fennel seeds- 1/2 tspn

Red chilli powder- 1 tspn (adjust according to your taste)

Oil- 3 tbspns

Salt to taste

Method :

First grind half of the onions, green chillies, ginger, garlic and fennel seeds into a paste. Heat oil in a pressure cooker ( I prepared it in a pressure cooker, you can use rice cooker too). When the oil is hot add  cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. When they emit a nice aroma add the onions and saute well. Then add the ground paste and chilli powder. Saute until the raw smell disappears. Now add the cut tomatoes and saute till they become soft. To the above mixture add rice and mix well. Then add enough water  and salt to taste (I add 3 cups water for 2 cups of basmati rice). Close the pressure cooker and cook for 3 minutes after the first whistle comes. Remove from fire and open the cooker after 10 minutes or after the pressure is released.

Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : Quality of toamto is very important. Look for ripe but firm, red tomatoes. Do not add too much spices. Very little will give a nice aroma and taste. The dish will be much tastier if the tomatoes are a bit sour. Happy cooking !!!

Vegetable pulao

  

When I am in a hurry and need a wholesome luch or dinner I prepare this vegetable pulao. Since I love my dishes to be colourful, I use whatever veggie I have, both fresh and frozen. I prepare this one pot meal in rice cooker and it will be ready in minutes. Tastes simple and great. Definitely a bachelor freindly recipe :).

Ingredients :

Basmati rice- 2 cups

Any veggie of your choice- 1-2 cups

Onion- 1 no

Green chilli-  4 nos

Gralic- 4 pods

Ginger- 1/2 inch piece

Fennel seeds- 1 tspn

Cardamom- 3 nos

Cinnamon sticks- an inch piece

Cloves- 4 nos

Oil- 4 tbspns

Salt to taste

Method :

Slice onions,  mince green chillies, ginger and garlic. Heat oil in a pan. When it becomes hot add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and fennel seeds. When the fennel splutter add onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic. Saute well for two minutes. Now add all the diced vegetables. Suate for one minute. Now add the basmati rice and again saute for a minute. Now add enough water ( I normally add 3 glass of water for 2 cups of rice). Amount of water needed depends on the type of rice you use. Add salt to taste. Now transfer everything to rice cooker and cook until done. A very easy, quick and wholesome lunch or dinner will be ready. Serve with any raita of your choice.

Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : Potato and green beans add nice flavour to the dish. If you wish you can add 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Replace this 1/2 cup of coconut milk for 1/2 cup of water.  Otherwise you can add 1 teaspoon of coconut milk powder. This tastes equally good. You can also add coriander leaves for extra flavour at the end of preparation. Replacing 1 tablespoon of oil with butter also adds taste to the dish. If you wish you can garnish with roasted cashews. Take care to add proper amount of water and not to make the rice mushy. Happy cooking !!!

Kalkandu sadham / Ksheeranam

 

This is a sweet dish which will conquer your taste buds. My mom  never prepared it at home. I tasted this dish in temples and in some marriage feasts.  Rice, ghee, milk and sugar candy (kalkandu).....should I say more about this combo :). They call this dish as ksheeranam too.  I made it for this tamil new year.  We all loved it. Hope you will love it too.

Ingredients :

Rice- 11/2 cup

Water- 5 cups

Milk- 2 cups

Sugar candy (kalkandu)- 11/2 cup (increase or decrease according to your taste)

Salt- a pinch

Cardamom- 5 nos ( powdered)

Cloves- 4 nos

Cashew nuts- 1/2 cup

Raisins- 2 tbspns

Cinnamon powder or nutmeg powder - few pinches (normally they use edible camphor (pachai karpooram) in this dish, it definitely enhances the flavour)

Ghee- 4 tbspns

Method :

Cook rice with 5 cups of water and mash it.  Now take a pan. Heat milk. Add the powdered cardamom, cloves, a pinch of salt and sugar candy to the milk. Bring it to boil. Now add the mashed rice to the milk and stir continuously until the mixture thickens. Now add 4 tbspn of ghee and cinnamon powder  or nutmeg powder and mix well. Garnish with cashews and raisins roasted in ghee. A very tasty desert will be ready to be served.

Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : Use pachai karpooram if available. The kalkandu should dissolve completely. Normally it dissolves quickly due to the heat. You can also add a pinch of saffron in milk bu you will not get the traditional white colour of this dish. Happy cooking !!!

Khichdi

 

For me, this dish carries with it many nice memories.  Before marriage, Rajender used to cook this one-pot meal very often. A very quick one to make and very satisfying too after a day of stessful work. Rajender used to have this with raw carrots and his mom's mango pickle as a side-dish. I too got used to it and whenever I make this khichdi, carrot+mango pickle will be our side-dish .  He uses toor dhal (thuvaram paruppu) for this khichdi while the norm is moong dhal (pasi paruppu) or bengal gram dhal (kadalai paruppu). But whatever it is, kichdi smells and tastes very good.

Ingredients :

Rice - 2 1/2 cups

Toor dhal- 1/2 cup

Onion- 1 (big variety)

Potato- 1 big

Green chillies- 5 nos

Curry leaves- some 15 leaflets

Jeera- 1 tspn

Turmeric- 1/4 tspn

Oil- 3 tbspns

Salt to taste

Method :

Cut onions, green chillies and cube the potatoes into big pieces. Heat oil in a pan. When it is hot enough add the jeera seeds. When it splutters add minced onions, green chillies, curry leaves , cubed potato pieces and turmeric powder. Saute for few minutes until onions turn translucent. Now add water depending on how much the rice you use demands. I use 5 cups of water for 3 cups of rice+lentil. mixture Let the water boil. Now add enough salt and water+lentil mixture into it. Tranfer everything into a rice cooker. When done serve with any side-dish you would like. But mango pickle and carrot tastes awesome with it !!!

Taste enhancing tips : Just follow the recipe. Make it as simple as possible without the addition of any other items. This lentil, rice medley has a very nice aroma and you will love it. Happy cooking !!!

Puliyodharai/ chinthapandu pulihora (Tamarind rice)

Puliyodharai reminds me of my school day picnics and temples. When I go for picnics I used to take  puliyotharai with me. I would be eager to visit new places as well as to sit with friends and eat this tasty dish. My mom used to pack  puliyodharai in a banana leaf. The smell of banana leaf and puliyodharai will be mesmerising. Puliyodharai remains for a day or so without getting spoiled, even in that hot climate. That is the reason why these kind of  'kattu sadhams' are invented. The way I prepare puliyotharai will be very different from andhraites preparation. Puliyodharai given in temples has a very unique taste. I do enter the tample with puliyodharai in my mind . For me this dish  is very close to my heart and taste buds. Anytime I would be happy to eat it. Potato fry or coconut thuvayal (a dry version of cocnut chutney)  goes very well with this dish.  The preparation is also very easy.  So here comes the preparation in detail :

Ingredients :

Cooked rice- 4 cups

Tamarind- a big lime-sized ball

Channa dhal- 1 tbspn

Groundnut- a handful

Red chillies- 8 nos (broken into 2 pieces)

Gralic- 8 pods

Curry leaves- a handful of leaflets

Chilli powder- 1 tspn

Coriander powder- 1 tspn

Coriander seeds- 1 tbspn

Seasame seeds (black variety is preferable)- 1 tbspn

Oil-  approx. 50 ml ( gingelly oil is prefered)

A pich of turmeic, asafoetida

Mustard, fenugreek, urid dhal and jeera seeds- 1 tspn each

Method :

Soak tamarind for 10 minutes and extract its juice. Heat a heavy bottomed pan. Add oil. When it gets heated add fenugreek seeds, wait till it gets brown and emits a nice aroma. Then add mustard, fenugreek, urid dhal and jeera seeds. When the seeds splutter add the channa dhal and groundnuts. Saute for a minute until the nuts are fried enough. Now add the red chillies, curry leaves and garlic. Fry for a minute or so untill the garlic turns golden colour and the red chillies gives out a nice aroma. Please take care not to burn any item. Then add the tamarind juice, red chilli powder, coriander powder and enough salt. Let this mixture boil. When it starts to boil simmer it for 15 minutes or so with occassional stirring. You must simmer it until all the water evaporates and the oil seperates out. Now the most important part. Cook rice with enough water. Rice should be as seperate grains when cooked. Cool the rice until it becomes cold to touch. Then mix the prepared pulikaichal (tamarind mix) with the rice with your hands until all the rice is coated with the tamarind mix. My friend Raji once gave me an useful tip. She asked me to fry and dry grind coriander seeds, sesame seeds and two red chillies and mix it with the rice at the end. Doing this makes your puliyodharai taste like kovil (temple) puliyodharai. This pulikaichal can be stored in refrigerator for a week or so. Try it, you will become a fan of this humble dish.

Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : The main important point to remember is to cook the rice in a way such that the individual grains do not stick together. This task can be accomplished by adding proper amount of water when cooking rice. Immediately after cooking  take a big tray or thambalam and spread the rice on it and allow it to cool. This step is very important. This helps the rice to cool dowm without becoming softer and stickier. Another important point is mix the pulikaichal only when the rice cools down. Never mix it with hot or warm rice. Fry coriander seeds, seasame seeds and two red chillies, make a powder of it and add to the puliyodharai. It greatly enhances the taste and flavour of puliyodharai. If you love crispier groundnut and channa dhal in the puliyodharai fry them seperately and mix with the dish at the end. Please adjust the spiciness of this dish according to your tolerance level. But remember you have to balance the sourness of the tamarind with enough chillies and salt. Happy cooking friends!!!

Mango and curd rice - an incredible combo!!!

Today we went to the farmers market and guess what, I found a nice, ripe, flavourful, delicious mango there. Here in Germany, we get ripe mangoes most of the time in a year. Those mangoes are sweet but minus it's delicious smell and flavour. Imagine a mango without its smell, horrible right, thats how I felt when I tasted those mangoes in the beginning. But in the shops run by Indians and Pakistanis you get imported mangoes which are as tasty and flavourful as the mangoes we get in India. But the mango in the picture above was as good as our Indian variety mangoes. Now-a-days few big supermarkets in Germany sell Indian variety mangoes too.

When I think of mangoes and curd rice I remember my school days. When I studied 6th class I had a friend named Vijayarani. Still I am in contact with her and I found her in orkut after almost 15 years!!! In the first scrap I sent her I mentioned about the mango and curd rice combo she brings for lunch. We used to eat together and when she opens her tiffin box during summer months (which is also the mango season) a wonderful aroma of mangoes and curd rice fills the entire place. In my home we are not used to that combo at that time. Definitely I used to drool on the combination. And surprisingly she too remembered the dish which I used to take for lunch very often (thattam payiru kuzhambu). Might be it impressed her too (?). Viji very happy to meet you and please do keep visiting my blog and let me know your invaluable comments.

When I came home form the weekend market I made curd rice and devoured the sweet, ripe mango along with it. Rajender likes this combo too. I temepred the curd rice with mustard, urid dhal, ginger pieces, onions, chillies, fresh coriander leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. This kind of tempered curd rice and pickle is what I took for lunch during my school and college days . During my masters my classmates staying in hostel loved to empty my tiffin box. At that time I didn't understand them. I would think whats there in a curd rice?!! But now I do miss many of the simple dishes what my mom made. So today with sweet mango and curd rice we had a sumptuous meal. Try this combo if you haven't, you will love it too. Happy cooking and have a wonderful weekend!!!