CAPSICUM BATH

A TASTY CAPSICUM RICE. MUST TRY.........


INGREDIENTS
RICE - 1 CUP
CAPSICUM - 2NOS
POTATO - 1 NO
TOMATO - 1 NO (CHOP ALL VEGE INTO SMALL PIECES)
CURRY POWDER - 4 TSPNS (VANGIBATH POWDER)
MUSTARD - 1/2 TSPN
OIL - 4 TSPNS
SALT
PREPARATION METHOD
COOK RICE AND KEEP IT SEPARATELY
IN A PAN ADD OIL, MUSTARD. ALLOW IT TO SPULTER.
ADD TOMATO AND SAUTE
ADD POTATO AND CAPSICUM AND SAUTE
ADD SALT
ONCE THE VEGETABLES IS COOKED ADD CURRY POWDER AND COOK TILL RAW SMELL GOES THEN MIX WITH THE RICE.

SERVE CAPSICUM RICE WITH RAITHA OR PAPAD.

VARIATION - INSTEAD OF TOMATO CAN USE ONION.

MIXED DAL

This is a gravy and side dish cooked with Bengal gram, Moong dal and Tor dal (Lentils)

INGREDIENTS
Bengal gram - 1/2 cup
Moong dal and Toor dal - 1 1/2 cups(Mixed)
Onion - 2 nos
Tomato - 2 nos
Red chilli powder - 2 tspns
Oil- 2 tsps
Mustard - 1 tspn
Cumin(jeera) - 1 tspn

Coriander leaves (cilantro) - 2 tspns
Green chillies - 2nos (optional)

Salt

PREPARATION METHOD

Wash and cook dal together in cooker.

Chop onion and tomato to medium size.

Heat a kadai, add oil, mustard and jeera. Saute for few mins.

Add onion and saute until soft.

Add tomato and saute until it cooks.

Add salt.

Now add ready dal and mix well.

Add chilli powder.

Add little water if required.(Do not add more water as it should be semi-liquid)

Allow it to boil (check for salt and add if required)

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Also can squeeze a lemon(optional).

Dal is ready to serve.

Serve hot with chapathi or rice.

Dishes prepared on pongal for lunch

Cooking on auspicious/festival days are prepared without onion and garlic. So for the recipes with onion you can omit that and prepare.

To read more about Pongal click here.

Sakkarai Pongal

Steamed Rice
Paruppu
Kootu

Poriyal

Any veggie Sambar



Rasam

Dal Vada



 

Happy Pongal!!!!!

Happy Pongal and Makara Sankranthi!!!!

Bogi Pongal is on 13th January 2009
Pongal is on 14th January 2009
Kanum/Mattu Pongal is on 15th January 2009

Pongal is a harvest festival for Tamilians. This festival is celebrated by all Hindus in South India called Tamilians. Pongal means overflowing.......They cook rice mixed with jaggery and milk which is very delicious. While cooking they allow it to overflow. In villages they cook in open place near temple. Group of people cook together and pray to god for the prosperity. Decorate house with kolams.

Celebrate this festival with family buying new clothes and enjoying. Children love to munch sugarcane.

In Karnataka it is called Makara Sankranthi. They have customs of distributing till seeds mixed with jaggery, ground nuts, dry coconut and sweetened jeera. They also make sugar candies in different designs like round, chariot, birds, etc which is yummy.

Traditional method of preparing pongal

Ingredients
Rice – 2 cups
Green gram(Moong dal) – ½ cup
Jaggery - 3 cups
Ghee – ½ cup
Cashews and Raisins – 6 each
Water – 6 cups
Milk – 1 cup
Grated coconut – 1 cup

Preparation Method
Keep the Oven clean with kolam (design)
Add Milk in a vengala panai (Bronze pot)
Tie the Manjal Kombu(Turmeric plant) to the Panai(pot).
Wash rice and green gram(moong dal). Add it to panai with water.
Rice and green gram to be cooked soft.
Keep a separate vessel with little water and add jaggery. Once it is dissolved, filter the mud particles and make the liquid to form little thick in consistency.(If u like more sweet you can add more jaggery) Now add it to cooked rice and mix well. Allow it to boil well for some time in medium flame. Keep stirring.
Keep kadai in oven and add Ghee. After it is hot add Cashew and raisins. once its brown. Remove from fire and garnish to pongal.

Sweet Pongal or Sakkare Pongal is ready to serve. It is offered as Nyvedyam to Lord SURYA BHAGAVAN on this day.

Simple Method of preparing Pongal

Cook rice and moong dal in cooker till soft so keep additional water. In a bowl keep little water and add jaggery to it. once its dissolved, filter it in a strainer. Now mix the cooked rice and dal mixture to jaggery and cook well. Keep it in a low flame. Add ghee for taste.

Garnish with fried cashews and raisins in ghee.

Quick pongal is ready to serve.

Vaikunta Ekadasi

7th January is Vaikunta Ekadasi celebrated by Hindus all over the world.

Lakhs of people visit Venkateshwara temple(Perumal), Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy temple, Ranganathar temple and many more. Temples are opened early morning on this day. It is very popular in Tirupathi and Srirangam. People wait for long hours and all the temples are crowded. Many of them fast on this day.

The belief says "Doors of Heaven (Swarga Vaasal) will open"

Beans Poriyal (Curry)

Beans poriyal(Curry) is a side dish cooked under low flame with coconut. It can be prepared easily on any day or for any occasion. It is very tasteful. This is mostly prepared for festivals and marraiges.

 

Ingredients

Beans - 250 gms
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Bengal gram - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1 tspn
Asafotida(hing) - 1 pinch
Turmeric - 1/2 tspn
Sugar - 1 tspn
Green chilli - 2nos
Curry leaves - 6 nos
Oil - 2tspns
Salt to taste

Preparation Method Wash, clean and pat dry beans.
Chop it into small pieces.
Heat a pan, put oil add mustard once it splutters add asafotida
Add Bengal gram and wait till its brown
Add the chopped beans
Add little water for it to cook
Add curry leaves
Add sugar (Sugar is added for not changing the colour of the vegetable while cooking) Add salt and turmeric Grind in mixie grated coconut with green chillies
Cook under low flame once its cooked with no water left add grinded coconut
Mix well and cook for 5mins.
Now its ready to serve.

Its a good combination for Sambar and rasam rice.

Masala Vada

A tasty snack mixed with lentils and onion then deep fried. This can also be prepared anytime for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

A great idea on a rainy day….

A great combination with Puliyogare (Tamarind rice) …………

Ingredients
Bengal gram(Yellow lentils) – 2 cups
Onion – 2 nos big
Fennel (saunf) – 1 tspn
Curry leaves – 4 tspns
Green chilli – 2 nos
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Preparation Method
Soak Bengal gram in water for 3- 4 hours
Cut the onions, chillies and curry leaves into small pieces
Now wash the Bengal gram and grind it to coarse paste(not smooth) without adding much water
Add chopped onions, chillies, curry leaves, salt and saunf to the paste.
Mix well and make lemon size balls
Heat the oil in a pan
Press slowly and drop in oil
Deep fry on both sides till brown

Take it on a tissue paper for 5mins to absorb excess oil

Serve hot as it is or with tomato ketchup or coconut chutney

Happy NEw Year 2009!!!

I Wish all readers a very happy,prosperous, wealthy, success and peaceful

New Year 2009.

COCONUT RICE

COCONUT RICE IS A TRADITIONAL MIXED RICE DONE IN SOUTH INDIA.THIS DISH IS DONE WITH FRESH GRATED COCONUT.

IT CAN BE DONE WITH LEFTOVER RICE TOO.

INGREDIENTS

RICE - 1 CUP
GRATED COCONUT - 2 CUPS
URAD DHAL - 1 TSP
MUSTARD - 1/2 TSP
ASAFOTIDA - 1 PINCH
RED CHILLI(DRY) - 2 NOS
CURRY LEAVES
OIL - 2 TSPN
SALT



PREPARATION METHOD

COOK THE RICE AND KEEP SEPARATELY
IN A PAN PUT OIL AFTER ITS HOT PUT MUSTARD
ADD AESAFOTIDA
ADD RED CHILLIES
ADD SPLIT URAD DHAL AND WAIT TILL BROWN
ADD CURRY LEAVES
ADD GRATED COCONUT AND SAUTE FOR 5MINS
ADD SALT
THEN MIX WITH RICE

Another version of Coconut rice recipe click here 

SERVE HOT WITH FRIED PAPADS AND VADAMS

PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take a picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page. Do follow me on Instagram id - saraswathiyer for more food stories and recipe ideas.Thank you. 

Gods Pharmacy! - 1

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Cucumber Salad

This Salad is very easy to prepare and tastes different.

Ingredients

Cucumber - 1no
Grated coconut - 4 tspns
Sunflower oil or olive oil - 1tspn
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Split Urad dal - 1/2 tspn (optional)
Asafotida - 1 pinch
Coriander leaves (cilantro) - 2 tspns

Salt to taste

Preparation Method

Wash and remove the skin of the Cucumber.

Cut the cucumber in small pieces
In a bowl, add the cucumber, grated coconut, salt.
In a pan, heat the oil, add mustard and asafotida
Add split urad dal and wait till its brown.
Then add this to the salad and mix.
Garnish with coriander leaves(cilantro) and serve.