Lemon Rice

#LemonRice is one of the best packed food items. It is made with commonly used condiments and lemon juice with rice. Lemon rice is called chitranna in Karnataka and served for morning breakfast.

Ingredients :
1 Cup	Raw Rice
4 Tsp	Gingelly Oil [ Till/sesame oil ]
1 big size	Lemon [ adjust ]
To Temper :
1 Tsp	Mustard seeds
1/4 Tsp	Fenugreek seeds [ optional ]
1 Tsp	Black gram split [ urad dhall ]
2 Tsp	Bengal gram [ channa dhall ]
4 Tsp	Peanut [ Ground nut ]
2 or 3	Green chilly, chop nicely
10 - 15	Curry leaves
3 Tsp	Coriander leaves chopped [ optional ]
2 Tsp	Carrot chopped nicely [ optional ]
Powders to add :
1/4 Tsp	Turmeric powder
1/2 Tsp	Cumin powder
1/2 Tsp	Red chilly powder [ adjust ]
1/4 Tsp	Asafoetida powder
2 Tsp	Salt [ adjust ]

Method :

Wash the lemon and cut into halves. Take water in a small cup. Remove seeds and immerse in water.

This helps to remove the bitterness that comes from the skin of the lemon.

Wash rice twice and take in a pressure cooker.
Add 2 cups of water, close the lid and put on weight.
Keep on high flame and cook for 3 whistles.
Reduce Flame and cook for 3 minutes.
Switch off and open immediately after the steam has completely subsided.
Now take a wide mouthed vessel or basin.
Turn the cooker upside down onto the basin to transfer the cooked rice.
Add oil and gently seperate cooked rice with a spoon.
Keep under a fan to cool down and to avoid cooked rice become sticky.

Now keep a kadai on slow flame and add 2 Tsp of oil.
When oil becomes hot splutter mustard seeds and then add urad dhal, gram dhal, fenugreek and ground nuts in the order.
Fry well till golden color and then add nicely chopped carrot pieces, green chilly, curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves.
Saute well for 2 minutes.

Now add all the powders and stir well for 10 to 15 seconds only.

Then switch off the stove and squeeze in lemon juice.

Mix well and transfer onto the rice.

Gently mix the prepared lemon mix with rice.
Adjust salt and red chilly powder.
Allow the mixed rice to cool down completely before packing in a tiffin box.

Lemon rice is ready!!
Enjoy with pappad or vathal or urulai kizhangu ( potato ) podimaas or simply without any side dish!!

Note : The rice should be prepared little bit more salty and spicy so that the lemon rice will taste good at the time of eating.
The excess salt and spice will be absorbed by the rice as the time passes.





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Coconut Drumstick leaf rice

Karuveppilai Rice - Curry Leaf Rice

Kuthiraivaali Coriander Rice

Cabbage Pepper Rice- Muttaikos milagu Rice

Vangi Bath - Katharikkai Rice

Buckwheat Pongal

#BuckwheatPongal : Last month when we went to a super market in Raipur, Chattisgarh to buy groceries where I came across a pack which looks just like channa but in different color & shape. From the label over the pack we came to know that it is Fafar Giri in Chattisgarh language. I enquired a girl working in that shop and she told me that people over here used to make flour from it. Then she told that they used to make roti or puri from it and used to consume during fasting days.

I googled and found out that fafar is called kuttu in Hindi.
Then learned that it is called Buckwheat in English.
Moreover I confirmed from googled images what we have purchased is Buckwheat.

Kindly Go through the links given below to learn about Buckwheat.

To know benefits of Buckwheat .


To know more about Buckwheat.

Buckwheat contains a glucoside called rutin, a phytochemical that strengthens capillary walls. One clinical study showed mixed results in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency.
Dried buckwheat leaves were manufactured in Europe under the brand name "Fagorutin" for use as a tisane.
It also contains galloylated propelargonidinsand procyanidins.

Buckwheat contains D-chiro-inositol, a component of the secondary messenger pathway for insulin signal transduction found to be deficient in Type II diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome. It is being studied for use in treating Type II diabetes.

Research on D-chiro-inositol and PCOS has shown promising results.

High protein buckwheat flour is being studied for possible use as a functional ingredient in foods to reduce plasma cholesterol, body fat and cholestrerol gallstones.

^{Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat}

Today I have decided to start my trial on this grain.
I took half a cup of buckwheat in a vessel and washed 2 times.
Then added 1 1/4 cup of water. Then I took a cup of water in a pressure cooker.
I placed this vessel inside the pressure cooker, closed the lid and put on weight.
I cooked over high flame for 3 whistles and then 5 minutes on SIM.
I opened after the steam completely subsides.
Wow!! saw the grains well cooked but seem to be sticky.
So I converted cooked buckwheat into pongal by adding cooked dhal and pepper powder.
It came out nicely and the taste was so good..
Then again on another day made pongal one more time to finish off my experiment.
Shall we see how I prepared pongal from Buckwheat?

The given ingredients just enough for two persons.

Ingredients :
1/3 Cup                               : Green gram dhal
1/2 Cup                               : Buckwheat (Papparai - பாப்பரை  in Tamil )
1 Tsp                                   : Pepper
1 1/2 Tsp                             : Cumin
1/4 Tsp                                : Turmeric Powder
3 cloves                               : Garlic
9                                          : Curry leaves
A small piece                        : Ginger ( Opttional )
1/2 Tsp ( adjust )                  : Salt

To Temper :
1 Tsp                                  : Cumin
1/2 Tsp                               : Pepper
5                                        : Cashew Nuts
2 Tsp                                  : Ghee

Method :
Wash buckwheat and green gram dhal two times.
Take all the ingredients in a pressure cooker.
Add 2 1/2 cup of water.
Mix well with a ladle.
Pressure cook on HIGH flame for 3 whistles.
Then reduce the flame to SIM position and cook for 5 minutes.
Wait till the steam subsides.
Open the cooker.

Keep a kadai with oil or ghee on slow fire.
Splutter cumin and then fry pepper and curry leaves.
Transfer on to the prepared pongal.
Now fry cashew nuts into golden color and transfer onto the pongal.
Mix well and serve hot with a dash of ghee.

Enjoy buckwheat pongal with Pongal thuvaiyal or Coriander chutney.





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Turnip Murungaikai Sambar

#TurnipMurungaikaiSambar #TurnipDrumstickSambar : After a long time I bought Turnip from market. It tastes just like radish ( mullangi ) and looks like beetroot but the color.
I made sambar using turnip yesterday. The sambar taste was as good as mullangi sambar. Here is the method of preparation. The ingredients are enough to prepare approximately 2 Cups of sambar.

Ingredients :
cooked thuvar dhal                         : 3 tblsp
tamarind                                          : 1 small nellikkai ( amla ) size
Turnip                                             : 1 medium size
Murungaikai ( Drumstick )
Carrot                                               : 1/2 of small size ( optional )
Broad beans                                                    : 4 ( optional )
Tomato                                             : 1 small size ( optional )
Murungai keerai
( drumstick leaves )                          : small amount ( optional )
Small onion                                        : 6 to 8

Green chilly                                        : 2
Curry leaves                                       : 8 to 10
Coriander leaves                              : small amount to garnish
sambar powder                                               : 2 tsp ( adjust )
Coriander powder                            : 1 tsp
Turmeric powder                              : a pinch
Salt                                                    : 2 tsp ( adjust )
Mustard seeds                                : 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida                                        : 1/4 tsp
Oil                                                      : 1 tsp

Method :
Soak tamarind in warm water half an hour before start making sambar.
Peel off onions and split green chillies lengthwise.

Cut tomato into 8 equal pieces.
Wash curry leaves & coriander leaves and pat dry with a clean cloth.
Peel off skin of turnip and cut into pieces of equal thickness .

Take cooked dhal in a small cooker / pressure pan and mash with a ladle or potato masher adding one cup of water.
Add turnip and pressure cook for one whistle.

Immediately release steam and open the lid.

Add turmeric powder, sambar powder , coriander powder and keep on medium flame.
Keep a kadai with a tsp of oil on another burner.
First splutter mustard seeds then add asafoetida, curry leaves, split green chilly and finally onion in the order. Saute till you get nice aroma of onions.
Then add tomatoes and saute for a minute.
Transfer into boiling dhal with turnip.
Add cut pieces of carrot, drumstick, broad beans and salt.

Squeeze tamarind and strain the juice into boiling sambar.

Close the lid and pressure cook for a whistle.
Transfer prepared sambar into a serving bowl after the pressure has completely subsided.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Take hot white rice in a plate. Pour a ladle full of sambar and add 2 or 3 drops of ghee. Mix well with hand by giving little pressure and enjoy with any curry , koottu and a papad.
mm...ah! .. wah!...  whoever had it will surely ask for one more serving!!

Sambar is a very good side dish for Paruppu rice and also for rice mixed with Paruppu podi, Milagu podi, etc.,....

You may also like to try these other sambar varieties

Radish sambar

Woodapple sambar

Ridge gourd chutney

You might also like to try :

Aviyal

Venthaya kuzhambu

vathakuzhambu

Vadai morekuzhambu

Vazhaipoo Kuzhambu

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Recipe Index

Ragi Adai

#KaezhvaraguAdai #RagiAdai : My mother used to make ragi adai very often both spicy and sweet version. But I completely forgot this tiffin. I haven't done it for many many years. My daughter told me that she tried ragi adai after getting the recipe from one of her friends mother. After hearing that I also made ragi spicy adai last week. Let us see how to make it.

Ingredients :
1 cup                                 Ragi Flour
1 Tbsp                               Soft Oats [ optional ]
1 Tsp                                 oil
1/2 Tsp                              Till ( sesame )
1/2 Tsp                              Cumin
1/4 Tsp                              Omam ( Optional )
1/4 Tsp                              Asafoetida ( Optional )
2 or 3                                Green Chilly ( thinly chop )
1                                       Onion ( nicely chop )
1 Tbsp                               Carrot grated
1/2 Tsp                              Salt ( Adjust )
15                                      Curry leaves ( nicely chop )
4 Tsp                                 Coriander leaves nicely chopped

Oil to make Adai

Method of preparing Dough :

Take all the ingredients in a wide mouthed vessel or a basin.
Mix well with your hands and then add lukewarm water.
Knead to a slightly thick dough.

Method of making Adai :

Heat a tawa on a medium flame.
Take a piece of banana leaf or a plastic sheet. I have taken a plastic sheet.
Smear oil over the sheet.
Place a big ball of prepared dough.
Oil the fingers and start spreading the dough evenly into an adai.
Sprinkle oil over the hot tawa and carefully transfer the adai onto tawa.
Put some oil over the adai.

Flip the other side and cook well.
When both the sides are cooked well transfer onto a plate.

This tiffin does n't need any side dish.
But it can be enjoyed with tomato sauce or coconut chutney.

But I prefer eating without any side dish.





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Kodi Pasalai Adai

Vazhaipoo spinach Adai

Pesarattu

Arisi Roti

Green gram sprouts Adai

Orange Rasam

#OrangeRasam : #Rasam is one of the main dishes prepared for lunch.
It is a concoction of few condiments with tamarind or lemon. 
But I generally used to prepare rasam with lemon only. The other day I did not have lemon. So I was searching my fridge for other options. First I thought of making Tomato rasam. Then when I saw oranges that I bought from the market the previous day which were so tangy, I decided to experiment with that. Let me present here how I prepared rasam with orange juice.
The ingredients given here are just enough to prepare approximately 2 cups of rasam.

Ingredients :
Madras Rasam Powder    : 2 Tsp full
Orange                              : 1
Salt to Taste
Turmeric Powder           : A Pinch
Red Chilli Powder         : 1/4 Tsp (If Required )
Green chilly                   : 1 or 2 ( split into two lengthwise )
Green Chilli                   : 1
Tomato                         : 1
Garlic cloves                   : 2
Ginger                            : a small piece ( optional ) Curry Leaves & 

To Temper :
Gingelly oil                     : 1 Tsp
Mustard seeds                 : 1 Tsp
Cumin ( Jeera )               : 1 Tsp
curry leaves                    : 8   
Coriander Leaves for Garnishing.                
This is enough for 2 to 3 persons. 

Method :
Gently grate orange to get a Tsp of orange rinds.
Then take out juice from orange and keep aside.

Take Madras Rasam Powder, turmeric powder, Salt, Cut Tomatoes, green chilly and Chilli powder ( if you want it spicy ) in a vessel.
Add smashed garlic cloves and ginger.

Add 1 3/4 cup of water over the ingredients taken in the vessel.
Heat over a medium flame.
When boiling rasam started foaming at the top add orange juice and simmer for 1 minute. Then switch OFF stove.

Add curry leaves, orange rinds, coriander leaves & then temper mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves in a kadai with 1 tsp of oil & pour over Rasam.

Just before serving garnish with coriander leaves.

Take hot rice in a pate and mix well with rasam and enjoy with any curry of your choice.

Other rasam recipes you might like to try

rasam

kokum rasam

kollu rasam

lemon rasam

madras rasam powder

Dishes for Lunch

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