Rice jaggery Payasam

Ingredients:




Rice: 1cup
Jaggery: 2 cups
Grated coconut: 1/2 cup
Ghee: 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder: 1 tsp
Cashew nuts ( splits ): 1 tbsp
Raisins: 1 tbsp 




Method:




Wash the rice and cook well in a pressure cooker.
Dissolve the jaggery in one cup of water and strain it.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add cashew nuts and kismis / raisins. Fry for 2 minutes. Remove from the ghee and keep aside. Add melted jaggery and saute on a low heat for 3 - 4 minutes or till you get a nice aroma of jaggery and ghee. Add cooked rice. Mix well. Add grated coconut and mix well.Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Finally, sprinkle cardamom powder. Add cashewnuts and raisins. Mix well. Serve warm or cold. 

Coconut Payasam

Ingredients:

• Rice - 2 tbsp
• Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp< /p>
• Jaggery - 1/3 cup
• Cardamom - 2 pods

Method:

Soak the rice in hot water for 1/2 hour. To this add the coconut and blend into a coarse paste. Boil 1/2 cup water & when boiling add the paste and stir continuously till the mixture cooks well. Add the grated jaggery to this and simmer. Garnish with the cardamom and some ghee.  

Veg pulav

Ingredients:


1 cup basmati rice (soaked for 1/2 hr in 2 cups water)
1 tsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion (chopped lengthwise)
Salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped vegetables (carrots, beans and peas)
Small piece of cinnamon
2 cloves
Few roasted cashews


Method:

Heat oil, add cumin seeds, cloves and cinnamon. When it splutters add onions and cook for a minute. Add the soaked rice after draining the water to a different vessel (not to be thrown). Fry for 2 minutes and then transfer it to a vessel for pressure cooking. Add the water that was used for soaking the rice and vegetables. Add salt and pressure cook for one or two whistles.

Mix well without breaking the cooked rice and garnish with roasted cashews. Serve hot with any spicy gravy of your choice or as it is for kids.

Carrot Rice

Ingredients:


1 cup rice
2 big grated carrots
Salt to taste
2 green chillies
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp ginger paste
A small piece of cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 Cardamoms
2 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds


Method:

Heat oil,add cumin seeds,cardamoms, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon. Then add ginger paste, green chillies and the cleaned rice. Mix well. Add grated carrots and salt. Mix well. Pressure cook with 2 cups of water.

Serve hot with any raita.

Spinach Rice

Ingredients:


2 tsp oil
2 cardamoms
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
A small piece of cinnamon
1/4 tsp methi powder
Few mint leaves
2 green chillies
1 tsp ginger paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 cup rice
A bunch of spinach, cleaned and chopped
1 medium sized tomato


Method:

Heat oil and add the dry spices and mint. Once the mint starts changing colour, add green chillies, ginger paste and spinach. Cook for 2 minutes and add chopped tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Let it cook till dry and finally add the rice and 2 cups of water. Pressure cook till done.

Ghee Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup rice(for basmati, water is 2 cups and for normal sona masuri rice, 2.25 cups of water)

Salt to taste

2 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cardamom

Few roasted cashews

2 cloves

Finely chopped coriander leaves.

Method:

Soak the rice for about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain out the water

Heat ghee, add black pepper, cloves and cardamom. Add the rice and roast well in ghee. Add water and salt to it and pressure cook it.

Garnish with roasted cashews and coriander leaves.

Brinjal Rice

Ingredients:


1 Brinjal (Can use any variety)
2 cups cooked rice
Salt to taste
2 tsp vangi bhath powder 
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp bengalgram dal
1/2 tsp blackgram dal
3 tsp oil


Method:

Heat oil and add mustard seeds, bengalgram dal and blackgram dal. When it splutters, add brinjal cut into small pieces and cook for some time by adding little water. Add vangi bath powder and salt. Add the cooked rice and mix well.

Serve with some raita or chips.

Puliyogare rice

Ingredients:


A big lemon size tamarind
2 tbsp groundnuts
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp bengalgram dal
1 tsp blackgram dal
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Bit of asafoetida
1 cup cooked rice

To be roasted and grinded to coarse dry powder

1 tsp bengalgram dal
2 tbsp dry coconut powder
2 Red chillies
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds


Method:

Soak the tamarind in little water for some time and extract thick juice.
Heat oil, add mustard seeds, bengalgram dal and blackgram dal. When mustard starts spluttering, add turmeric powder, tamarind juice, asafoetida, roasted groundnuts and salt and allow it to boil for about 5 minutes. Add the masala powder and mix well till the mixture becomes thick.

Mix it with cooked rice according to taste and serve with raita or chips. You could even add a bit of jaggery to it to give it a tangy and sweet taste. The paste can be stored in an air-tight container after cooling it for about 15 days when refrigerated. 

Adirasam

Ingredients:


1 cup Raw rice
1 cup Jaggery
1 tsp cardamom powder
Oil to fry


Method:

Soak the raw rice for 1 1/2 hours and drain out the water completely. Grind the slightly wet rice to a smooth powder in the mixer and sieve it twice to remove unfine particles.

Add a little water to the jaggery and allow it to boil. The required consistency is such that when a drop of the jaggery syrup is put into a plate of water, it should be easily formed into a soft ball with fingers. At this stage, add the cardamom powder and the rice flour slowly into the syrup. Mix well and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

Make equal medium sized balls of the mixture and pat it on a greased plastic sheet to form a thick poori.

Slowly put it into hot oil and cook till it turns dark brown on both sides in medium flame. Use two big spoons with holes to remove the excess oil. Repeat for rest of the balls.

Cool and store in an air-tight containter. Stays good for 5-6 days.

Kancheepuram Idli

Ingredients:


1 cup Boiled rice
1 cup raw rice
1 cup blackgram dal
1 tsp cumin seeds
Few curry leaves
Little grated ginger
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp pepper
A bit of asafoetida
Salt to taste


Method:

Soak both the rice and dal together for atleast 2 hours. Grind it to get a coarse batter.

Add salt, asafoetida and allow it to ferment for atleast 8 to 10 hours.

Before making idlis, add the cumin seeds, pepper, finely chopped curry leaves, ginger and ghee.

Steam them in an idli cooker, preferably in a plate. When the idli is done, cut them into pieces and serve with chutneys and sambhar.

Ven Pongal

Ingredients:


3/4 cup Raw Rice
1/4 cup Greengram dal
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Cumin seeds
Cashews-10
Salt to taste
Curry leaves- few
2 tbsp Ghee



Method:


Pressure cook the rice and greengram dal together with required quantity of water (water should be 3 to 4 times the quantity of rice).


In a small kadai, heat the ghee, add the cashews. When it turns golden brown, remove the cashews and add the cumin seeds, pepper and curry leaves to the ghee.

Transfer all of these to the cooked rice. Mix well.
Serve hot with chutney and sambhar.