Easy Ragi Idli!

Ragi Idli is a healthy breakfast. Its very filling. Its also good for diabetic and cholestrol. I have already posted recipe for Soft Idlis here.

Ingredients
Idli Batter -7 laddles/karandi(click here to make Idli batter recipe)
Ragi/Millet flour - 2 small cups
Water as required
Salt

Preparation Method
In a vessel or bowl, add Idli batter, ragi flour, salt and water as required. Mix well and leave it to ferment.
Grease idli plates with Gingiley /olive oil.(Dont put more oil, add few drops just required and for easy removal of idlis)
Mix well and pour batter in the greased plates. This batter is good for 8 idlis.
Steam for 15mins.

Allow it to cool a bit and remove carefully from the plates.

Ragi Idlis are ready. Serve Hot. I served it with Tomato Chutney. You can serve with sambar or any chutneys.

Tomato Chutney | No Onion No Garlic!

This Tomato Chutney is prepared without onion and garlic. I have been thinking of recipes prepared without coconut nowadays which are for lowering cholestrol and for diabetic. This is quick and tastes delicious for Dosas and Idlis.

Ingredients
Tomatoes - 2nos(Red n Ripe)
Urad Dal - 2 tspns
Green Gram/Pacha Payaru - 2 tspns
Dry red chilli - 2nos (As per your taste)
Gingely Oil/Olive Oil - 1 tspn
Salt
Curry leaves - few

Preparation Method
Heat a wok or kadai, add oil, urad dal, green gram, red chilli, curry leaves and saute till the dal is brown. Transfer it to a plate. In the same kadai, add chopped tomatoes, a pinch of salt and cook till its soft. Allow it to cool.
Add salt and grind to coarse paste when cool.
Season with oil, mustard and Hing/Asafotida.

Tomato Chutney is ready to serve. I served it with Ragi Idlis, the recipe will be my next post.

Notes - You can also have it without seasoning, I wanted the hint of hing. If you wish you can add hing while grinding.

Karuvepilai Sadam | Curry Leaves Variety Rice!

Podi sadams are my favourite coloured rice. This is healthy and tasty. I have already posted Karuvepilai Podi Recipe here. Do have a look.

Ingredients
Karuvepilai Podi - 4 tspns(For recipe click here)
Steamed Rice - 1 cup(100gms)(For 2 persons)
Nalla Yennai/Gingeli/Sesame/Coconut Oil - 2 tspns
Ghee - 1 table spoon(If its for kids)
Mustard - a pinch
Jeera - a pinch
Asafotida - a pinch
Urad dal - 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves - few
Salt as required
Pepper powder - Optional

Preparation Method
Heat a kadai, add oil, ghee,  mustard, wait till it pops. Then add urad dal, curry leaves, jeera saute till dal is brown. Add the rice, salt and curry leaves powder. Off the stove.
Now slowly mix the rice. Close and keep it for few minutes.

Delicious Karuvepilai Sadam is ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions - Papads/Vadagams/Boondi/Curds.

I am linking this recipe to Cooking with Love Grandmom Event at my space. Link your entries soon.

Thakali Rasam | Tomato Soup!

Thakali Rasam is a soothing rasam when you are down with cold and cough. This doesn't have dal, so you can drink as soup or mix with rice.

Ingredients
Tomato - 3 nos(Ripe N Red)
Garlic - 4 nos
Whole Black Pepper - 1 tblspn(As per your taste)
Dry Red Chilli - 2 nos
Jeera - 2 tspns
Curry leaves few


Seasoning/Talipu
Oil /ghee - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1/4 tspn
Asafotida - a pinch

Salt as required

Preparation Method
In a blender, put chopped tomatoes, garlic, jeera, pepper, dry red chilli and curry leaves. Grind it to fine paste. Add little water if required.
Heat a vessel, add the blended mixture with water, salt to watery consistency and allow it to boil.(you will know by it colour)
Once the raw smell is gone. off the stove and season it with above ingredients.

Thakali Rasam / Tomato Soup is ready to serve. Enjoy hot or warm.

Notes - If you dont wish to season, you can skip the step and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
You can also deseed and remove skin of tomato if you wish.

Karuvepilai Podi | Curry Leaves Powder!

Karuvepilai Podi | Curry leaves powder is very good for health and keeps hair black as well as growing. Curry leaves powder is very tasty. It will also help when anyone gets cold, mix this powder with rice and ghee it as warms up the body. This is also a post pregnancy food.

Ingredients
Curry leaves – 4 cups
Urad dal – ½ cup
Bengal gram – ½ cup
Black pepper – 1 tspns(As per your taste)
Dry red chilli – 2 nos( As per your taste)
Dry coconut(copra) – 1 no (small)
Oil – 4 tspns
Asafoetida(Hing) – ¼ tspn or a small piece
Salt

Preparation Method

Split curry leaves from the stem

In a Kadai, put 2 tspns of oil add Urad dal, Bengal gram, pepper fry till dal is brown and now add red chill, asafoetida fry for a minute.

Now transfer this to a plate to cool.

You can always add or reduce pepper and red chilli as per your requirement.
Add in kadai 2 tspns of oil and add curry leaves. Fry this till curry leaves are hot and remove from fire.
Leave it for sometime till it becomes dry and crisp.
Cut or grate the dry coconut and mix to the dal.
When the dal is cool grind it coarsely.
Add curry leaves, salt and grind.

Once cool, store it in air tight container. This can be used upto 10days.

Curry leaves powder is ready. This can be mixed with rice or had with chapathi.

Notes - Dry coconut can be avoided for people with cholestrol.
If you love to add more curry leaves, feel free to add.

Ragi Semiya Upma!

Ragi/Millet  is very healthy food. Ragi is staple food in villages as they grow. To know more Benefits click here. This is also good for diabetic people. I love Ragi Mudde.

Ingredients
Ragi Semia (Anil Semia) - 1 pkt
Bengal gram - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1 tspn
Aasafotida - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - 10nos
Oil - 4 tspns
Onion - 2 nos chopped
Ginger - 1 tspn chopped
Green chilli - 2 nos
Fresh Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1 tspn chopped
Salt

Preparation Method
Crush the semia to small pieces.

Boil water in a vessel add 1 tspn oil and 1 tspn salt.
When water boiling add semia and boil for 3mins. Check whether is cooked. (If u leave for more time it will become soft.)
Then drain the water and run over cold water.
Now in a kadai, add oil, mustard, asafotida and wait till it spulters.
Add bengal gram and wait till its brown. Add green chilli, ginger, onion, curry leaves and saute till its transparant.
Now add cooked semia and little salt.

Cook for few mins and off the stove.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Ragi Semiya Upma is ready.

Notes - You can also add vegetables.

Nellikkai Urugai | Amla | Gooseberry Pickle Recipe!!!

Nellikkai/Amla/Gooseberry is very good to health and is rich in Vitamin C. I had previously posted Nellikkai Rice recipe here, checkout if you had not seen.

Ingredients
Nellikkai/Amla/Gooseberry - 10 nos(Big ones)
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tablespoons(As per your taste)
Oil - 1/2 cup (any cooking oil I use Gingely Oil/Nalla Yennai or Olive Oil)
Mustard - 1/2 tspn
Hing - 1/4 tspn
Venthayam podi/Fenugreek seeds powder - 1/2 tspn
Turmeric - 1/2 tspn
Salt as required

Preparation Method
Boil water in a vessel, add turmeric and little salt.
Wash and wipe nellikkai put them in the boiling water. Leave it for 4 to 5 hours.
Once its almost cool, takeout and cut them sidewards. Remove the seed.
Heat a kadai, add oil, mustard wait till it splutters, add peringayam. Add the chopped nellikai and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Add salt, venthiya powder and red chilli powder. Mix all and off the stove. Allow it to cool and transfer them to glass or porcelein container.
Mix well and leave it for a day. Keep mixing in intervals with a wooden or plastic spoon.

Yummy Nellikkai Pickle is ready. A perfect for curd rice/Kootu rice.

Notes: - For longer shelf life, store in refridgerator. - If you are using steal spoon, do not leave it in the box as it will rust.

Dont forget to send in your entries to my Cooking with Love - Grandmom Event.

Tomato Mutter Paneer!

Its been long time I posted Paneer recipe. Tomato Mutter Paneer is simple and delicious gravy. I have already posted Mutter Paneer previously and my Paneer recipes here. I always pickup the fresh red tomatoes from Little India market.

Ingredients

Tomato - 5nos(Big and deseeded)
Onion - 1no
Frozen Peas - 1 cup
Paneer - 10 pieces(for Homemade Paneer click here)
Ginger Garlic - 2 tspns
Spices - cinamon, cardamom, cloves ; 1 or 2 each
Kasoori Methi - 1/2 tspn
Tomato Ketchup - 1 tablespoon
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tspn
Channa Masala - 1/2 tspn
Milk - 1 cup
Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
Ghee or Butter - 1 tspn
Cream - 2 tspns(Optional)
Sugar - 1/2 tspn

Preparation Method

Chop onion and tomato to medium size cubes.

In a Kadai, put little oil and spices, half the chopped onion, ginger, garlic and all the tomato saute till its soft. Allow it to cool and grind to a fine paste.

In the same Kadai, put little ghee/butter, oil, spices and fry for a minute. Add onion , saute, kasoori methi for 2 mins.(see notes below)

 

• Add tomato paste with little water. Add salt to taste. Keep it in low flame. Keep Stirring.
• Once its cooked well, tomato puree and allow one boil. Then add milk, mix and boil it.

Add green peas, garam masala and red chilli powder mix well. Keep it in low flame.

Once its boiled, check for salt and add paneer and mix well. It should be not too thick or too runny. Just semi gravy and blend well. Add sugar and stir well. You can also add a pinch of kasoori methi. Allow it to boil once and off the stove.

Top it up with cream if you like or serve just like that.

Tomato Mutter Paneer is ready to serve. This can be a side dish for Chapathi, Naan, Kulcha and Rotis (Indian Breads) or Ghee rice.

Notes - You can also use Garam Masala instead of Channa Masala.

If you want tomato bites, you can add 1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes.
When it cools, the gravy will become slight thick.
If you feel you dont want more tomatoes you can reduce 1 no and add more ketchup.

This recipe is going to CC Dish for Loved ones by Sravani.

Brinjal Masala Curry !

Brinjal Masala Curry is a simple and tasty for rice and chapathi. One of the recipes learnt by my Father-in-law. Actually me and my hubby dont like brinjal and now both started eating:-)

Ingredients
Brinjal - 250 gms
Onion - 1 no
Tomato - 1no
Ginger  - 1 tspn
Garlic - 1 tspn
Grated coconut - 1 tspn
Bengal gram - 1 tspn
Mustard - 1 tspn
Turmeric - 1/4 tspn
Chilli powder - 1/2 tspn(As per your taste) 
Coriander powder - 1/2 tspn
Jeera powder - 1/4 tspn
Curry leaves - 6 nos
Oil - 4 tspns
Salt to taste

Preparation Method
Wash, clean and pat dry brinjal.
Chop it into small pieces and put in water to avoid change in colour.
Chop onion, tomato, ginger and garlic.
Heat a pan, put oil add mustard once it splutters, add Bengal gram and wait till its brown.
Add onion, ginger, garlic and saute till brown.
Add tomato and saute. Add brinjal and sprinkle little water for it to cook.
Add all the powders above one by one and saute.
Cook under low flame once its cooked add finely chopped coriander and grated coconut.
Mix well and cook for 5mins.
Now its ready to serve.


Delicious Brinjal Masala Curry is ready to serve. Serve hot with chapathis or rasam rice. This can also be good for Lunchbox.

Don't forget to send in your entries to ongoing event Cooking with Love Grandmom here.

Greens Pulao | Type 2 | Step-by-Step Recipe!

Greens Pulao is simple and easy recipe. I have already posted Keerai Pulao here, this is with slight changes.

Ingredients
Keerai/Greens - 1 bunch(Any greens)
Coriander leaves -1/2 cup
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Carrot - 1 cup chopped lengthwise
Water - 4 cups
Green Chilli - 2 nos(As per your taste)
Ginger - 2 tspns
Garlic - 1 big
Onion - 2nos
Cashews - few
Spices - 1 no each(Krambu,Elakka,Pattai /Clove, Cinamon, Cardamom)
Oil - 3 tablespoons
Garam Masala - 1/2 tspn
Coconut - 1 cup or coconut milk - see notes
Salt

Step by Step pictures

Preparation Method
Wash and soak Basmati Rice.
Wash keerai /greens and coriander.
In a mixie or blender, add coconut, greens, coriander, ginger, garlic, 1 no onion, green chilli and spices. Grind it to coarse paste in mixie or blender.
Heat a pressure cooker, add oil and ghee. Add Bayleaf, Add chopped onion, a pinch of salt, saute till onions are transparant.
Now add grounded keerai mixture and saute for few minutes. Add carrot and mix well.
Add soacked rice, water, coconut milk,(if adding coconut milk) salt, garam masala and mix. Allow it to boil and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
Wait for steam to release and slowly mix. Garnish with cashews.



Greens Pulao is ready to serve. Serve warm with Raitha | Channa Masala |Gravy and fryums/papad.

Notes - You can add green peas and corn.(I ran out of it)
You can avoid carrot, you can add in potato and beans. 
Check on water and coconut milk, reduce accordingly
You can just use Palak