Coconut Rice with coconut milk

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Coconut milk - 1 1/2 cup

Onion - 1, thinly sliced

Green chillies - 3

Ginger garlic paste - 1/3 tbsp

Whole garam masala - Cinnamon stick-2 inch, Cardamom-3, Cloves-4, Star Anise-1, Bay leaves-2

Cashews - 2-3 tbsp

Chopped mint - 2 tbsp

Chopped coriander leaves - to garnish

Salt - as per taste

Ghee - 1/4 tbsp

Oil - 1/2 tbsp

How to extract coconut milk?

Grate half coconut finely, add 1 cup of hot water and wait for few minutes. After sometime, grind the mixture in to smooth paste. Now transfer the ground mixture in to a clean muslin cloth and extract milk from the mixture. Repeat the same process by adding little more water to the left over coconut mixture on muslin cloth to extract second phase coconut milk. Alternately you can also use canned coconut milk which is readily available in market.

Procedure:

1. Wash basmati rice and soak it for at least 15 min.
2. Take a pressure cooker, heat ghee and oil. Add whole garam masala, cashews and fry until nice aroma comes out.
3. Now add chopped green chillies, sliced onion and fry for 2 more minutes.
4. Add ginger garlic paste, chopped mint leaves and give a nice stir.
5. Add soaked basmati rice and stir gently. Now add coconut milk, adjust salt and stir well.
6. Cover it with lid and pressure cook until you get 2 whistles.
7. Once all the steam escapes of its own, open the lid, add chopped coriander leaves and stir gently with a wooden spatula to retain the texture of rice. Finally serve hot with your favorite gravy.

Tomato Chutney for Idli & Dosa

Ingredients:

Tomatoes (large) - 3

Onion (medium) - 1

Chana dalia / Roasted Bengal gram - 1/4 cup

Red chillies - 3-4 (adjust according to your spice level)

Ginger - 3/4 inch

Sugar - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp

Curry leaves - few

Hing - pinch (optional)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Take a kadai, heat oil, add red chillies, chana dalia and roast them until they slightly alter their color. Transfer in to mixer bowl and let them cool. Once they reaches to room temperature, blend them in to fine powder and keep aside.
2. In the same pan, add chopped ginger and fry until nice aroma comes out. Add chopped onion and saute until they are tender.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and cook them with covered lid until mushy. Cool them completely and transfer them in to mixer bowl with ground dalia and red chillies.
4. Blend all of them together with sugar and salt to get a smooth mixture. Add required water to get desired consistency.
5. Finally temper it with urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing and curry leaves. Serve it with idli or dosa. 

Mamidikaya Pappu (Raw Mango Dal)

Ingredients:

Kandipappu (Toor dal) - 1 cup

Raw mango - 1 (medium)

Onion (small) - 1

Green chillies - 4-5

Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Water - 3 cups

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/8 tbsp (optional)

Red chillies - 2

Hing - pinch

Crushed garlic pods - 3-4

Curry leaves - few

Oil/Ghee - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Peel off the outer layer of raw mango, chop them in to small chunks and keep aside.
2. Now transfer measured toor dal in to pressure cooker and wash thoroughly.
3. After discarding all the excess water, add chopped raw mango, roughly chopped onion, slit green chillies, turmeric, water and close the lid. Place weight on the top and heat the flame.
4. After hearing one whistle, transfer flame to low-medium and cook until you get 3-4 whistles.
5. After sometime, when all the steam escapes of its own, open the lid and mash it thoroughly with a ladle or dal masher.
6. Add little hot water, if required to get desired consistency. Adjust salt and keep aside.
7. Take a small kadai, heat oil or ghee. Add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add red chillies, crushed garlic pods and give a nice stir. Once they are done, add curry leaves, hing and switch off the flame.
8. Transfer the tadka immediately in to the dal. Stir well and serve hot with white rice by adding a drop of ghee and your favorite side dish or papad.

TIP: The quantity of raw mango may vary based on the sourness of the mango you use.

After cooking dal, if you feel that the sourness is insufficient, adjust it by adding required amchur powder.
If your toor dal does not cook easily, it is advisable to cook dal and mango separately and later mix together.

Aloo Gobi/ Potato and Cauliflower Curry

Ingredients:

Potatoes (small) - 2 (diced in to small cubes)

Cauliflower florets (small) - 1 cup

Onion - 1 (medium), chopped very finely

Tomato - 1 (small), chopped finely

Green chillies - 2, finely chopped

Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp

Cumin powder - 1/4 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1/4 tbsp

Garam masala - large pinch

Amchur powder - 1/4 tbsp

Kasoori methi - 1/8 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/8 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Coriander leaves - to garnish

Oil - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Half boil chopped potatoes, cauliflower florets separately and keep aside.
2. Take a kadai, heat oil and add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add chopped green chillies, onion, ginger-garlic paste and saute for few minutes.
3. Add chopped tomato and continue cooking until they turn mushy.
4. Add turmeric, red chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, amchur powder, kasoori methi and mix well.
5. Now add half boiled potatoes and cauliflower florets. Sprinkle some water and cook for few minutes.
6. Once the vegetables are well cooked in masala gravy, adjust salt, sprinkle garam masala and stir gently.
7. Finally switch off the flame, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or roti. 

Cornflakes Mixture

Ingredients:

Corn flakes - 2 cups (I used Kellogg's cereal flakes)

Ground nuts/Peanuts - hand full

Chana Dalia (Roasted Bengal gram) - hand full

Cashews, broken - 3 tbsp

Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp

Chat masala - pinch

Salt - as per taste

Curry leaves - few

Oil - 1-2 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Take a wide kadai, heat oil, add peanuts, curry leaves and start roasting them. Once they are almost done, add broken cashews and fry them until they turn to golden brown.
2. Add chana dalia and continue frying for 30 seconds.
3. Add corn flakes and roast them under low flame until they slightly alter their color.
4. Sprinkle red chilly powder, chat masala, salt all over and mix gently without disturbing the texture.
5. Switch off the flame, cool them completely and store in air tight container.

Methi Pakoda / Methi Pakora

Ingredients:

Methi leaves - 2 cups, tightly packed

Besan - 1/2 cup

Rice flour - 2 tbsp

Onions - 2 medium, chopped length wise

Green chillies - 2-3, finely chopped

Ginger - 1 inch, finely chopped

Aamchur powder - 1/2 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/4 tbsp

Curry leaves - few, finely chopped

Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Salt - as per taste

Oil - to deep fry

Procedure:

1. Wash, clean and separate all the methi leaves from stems and roughly chop them.
2. Add chopped onions, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves, besan, rice flour, aamchur powder, garam masala, salt and mix well by sprinkling some water to form a tight batter similar to that of normal onion pakoda batter.
3. Heat oil in a wide kadai, until the oil is sufficiently hot.
4. Now drop the batter in to oil as small fritters and fry them under medium flame until nice golden yellow color is achieved.
5. Finally drain all the pakoda in to plate with tissue paper and serve hot with green chutney or tomato ketch-up.