Beetroot raita

 

A very simple raita and very colourful too. Mixing beetroot with curd is very eye-catching. I have a very vivid memory about the first time I saw this combo. I have a friend called Anitha. We studied together from 1st to 3rd std. Her grandma used to bring lunch box for her. We used to have lunch together. One day I noticed her eating beetroot poriyal with curd rice.  The curd rice turned into a beautiful pink colour and that scene is still in my mind. From that day onwards I started to love the combination of beetroot and curd rice. My mom taught me this dish very recently. As I love the curd and beetroot combo, I prepared this immeditaely. Definitely a tasty, healthy side-dish for pulaos. For young children this dish will be very attractive. You can scrap the beetroot, cook for 2 or 3 minutes and then mix with curd along with a few teaspoons of sugar. Sure they will ask for more :).

Beetroot has many health benefits. It is a rich source of betaine, a nutrient, which is important for cardiovascular health. Beetroot juice has been shown to reduce blood pressure thus reducing cardiovascular problems. So include lots of beetroot in your diet. Diabetic people should not include it often because of its high sugar content.

Ingredients :

Beetroot- 1 no 

Thick curd- a cup

Green chillies- 3 nos (finely minced)

Salt to taste

Method :

Cut the beetroot into bite sized pieces (depends on how you like, you can also scrap them). Then boil with 1/2 cup of water (you can also use it raw if you like). When all the water evaporates remove from fire and allow it to cool. When the beeroot cools down add them and minced green chillies to a cup of curd. Add enough salt and mix everything well. Beet root raita will be ready in a few minutes. Tastes very good with pulaos and very healthy too.

Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : Work out with your imagination. Add a teaspoon of chat masala or a 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. How about minced coriander leaves? Whatever you like :). If your child like it sweet you can add sugar instead of green chillies and salt. Happy cooking !!!

Priya I tried making tomato rose and that is how I ended up with :)

Mor kuzhambu

When I am young I hated this mor kuzhambu. 'Why on earth you have to eat this simple dish when there are lots of spicy, mouth-watering dishes around', that is how I thought about it.  But as you age your taste changes. And sometimes your stomach will really ask for something simple and satisfying rather than the routine spicier ones. I make this mor kuzhambu when  I really need a pleasant change for my taste buds. Silky, simple, satisfying and very tastier too. You can add a variety of vegetables to your mor kuzhambu. But ladies finger is my favourite,since it imparts a nice flavour to the dish. I have heard people say that poosanikai or ashgourd tastes the best in mor kuzhambu but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to taste poosanikai mor kuzhambu until now.  Need a change from the routine dishes? try this, you will like it.

Ingredients :

Toor dhal- 1 tbspn

Rice- 1 tspn

Jeera seeds- 2 tspn

Dried red chillies- 4 nos

Garlic- 1 pod

Coconut- 2 big pieces of  it's meat

Curd or yoghurt- 1 cup (3.5 % fat)

Ladies finger- 10 nos

Green chillies- 3 nos

Turmeric- 1/4 tspn

Asafoetida- a pinch

Fenugreek, jeera and  mustard seeds- 1/2 tspn

Urid dhal- 1/2 tspn

Curry leaves- some 15 leaflets

Oil- 2 tbspns

Salt to taste

Method :

Soak toor dhal and rice for half-an-hour. Then grind together coconut pieces, jeera seeds, red chillies, garlic, soaked toor dhal, rice and turmeric to form a smooth paste. Cut vendakkai into 1/2 inch pieces. Cut green chillies longitudinally into two pieces. Now saute the ladies finger and green chillies with a teaspoon of oil until the ladies finger is cooked well. Now take a cup of thick, sour curd. Dilute the curd with a cup of water. Add the ground paste to the curd and mix well. Add the sauteed ladies finger and green chillies to this curd mixture. Now you have to temper this curd mixture. Heat oil in a pan. Add fenugreek seeds. When it turns brown add urid dhal, mustard and jeera seeds. When they splutter add curry leaves. Then transfer the curd mixture to the pan. Continue heating until froath forms on the top. Remove from fire. Add enough salt and a pinch of asafoetida. Mor kuzhambu will be ready to be served.

Tatse enhancing tips for this recipe : The main important thing is  mor kuzhambu should not be allowed to boil. When it froaths on the top remove from fire. If you add vendakkai saute well and then add to mor kuzhambu. It removes the stickiness from the ladies finger. If you add any other vegetable boil the vegetable with green chilles in little water. When the vegetable is cooked add to mor kuzhambu. At the end add a tspn of coconut oil to this dish. It greatly enhances the flavour. If the curd is not sour enough you can try adding little tamarind juice. Happy cooking!!! and enjoy your week end!!