Indian style fried rice

To make ur family eat all veges, this is a best dish.As it has all veges sauteed well with rice.
This fried rice has all indian ingredients ( ajinomotto is optional).It is very appealing for kids.A good way to feed them veges.

Ingredients:
0.Basmati rice             -       1 1/2 cups
1.Beans                         -       10
2.Carrot                        -       1
3.Peas                           -       1 cup
4.Onion                         -       1
5.Green chillies              -        4 to 5
6.G&G paste                -           1 tbsp
7.Garlic                         -         4 to 5 pods
8.Ajinomotto                 -        a pinch (optional)
9.Pepper pwdr              -       1 tbsp

Method:

* Wash and cook basmati rice with 3 cups of water and a tbsp of oil.
* Once they are cooked,dry them in a wide mouthed pan.
* This helps the rice to be non-sticky.
* Chop onion,veges ,garlic finely.
* Take a pan , add  a tbsp of oil and fry onion ,green chillies till it is light brown.
* Saute garlic and G&G paste well with onion.
* Dump in all the veges and saute them by sprinkling some salt.
* This helps the veges to get cooked.
* Add a pinch of ajinomotto to the veges.
* Sprinkle the rice evenly into the pan and toss it well.
* Now add pepper pwdr and mix it well.
* Serve hot with sauce or ketchup.

Note:
These ingredients are to my spice level.If u want to have less spicy,then cut down green chillies to 2 and half tbsp of pepper pwdr.

Egg plant Dal

Today ,my day was dull and not interested to cook elaborately.Was just mazing thru websites.Mahanandhi's egg plant dal caught my eyes .Its a very easy and elegant dish.In no time ,i did this and just remembered my grandma style curry.She asked to do with green egg plant,since i didnt have that, I tried with purplr ones.My son loved it a lot.

Egg plant dal!!!

Ingredients:
1.Egg plant                  -    2
2.Toor dal                   -    1/2 cup
3.Onion                       -     1/2
4.Chilli pwdr              -     1 tbsp
5.Tamarind                 -     small marble size

For Tempering:
0.Ghee               -         1 tbsp
1.Garlic                -        3 to 4
2.Cmin seeds       -        1/4 tsp
3.Mustard seeds -         1/4 tsp
4.Curry leaves    -        1 spring

Method:
* Wash and cut the brinjals into cubes.
* Take a pressure cooker add toor dal,brinjal,chopped onions,chilli pwdr and tamarind.

Ready to get cooked....

* Mix it well and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.
* Remove the pressure , mash brinjal with toor dal and keep it aside.
* Adjust salt to taste.
* Now for tempering, take a pan and add ghee.
* Add chopped garlic ,mustard seeds,cumin seeds and curry leaves to the pan.
* Once they splutter, add the tempering to the brinjal and mix it well.
Serve it with steamed rice.
Believe me it will surely remind our granny style cooking.Garlic tempering will enhance the flavor to the dish.

Spicy Egg Fry

                                      "  Eggs a day keeps the doc away- only for kids. "
Whenever our non-veg inventory runs out of stock, this beautiful white queen helps us a lot.Moreover ,eggs has lot of protiens .So I wud make sure that atleast thrice a week , my son has egg.When we present different colors of eggs,kids wud love to eat it.

When I gave this platter to my son, he ran and took the spicy one . After finishing off, he started realising the spicy taste and started crying.so sad.But this way I introduced a new dish to my son, though he felt spicy.So colourful dishes tempt us a lot.

Eggs!!!

Ingredients:
1.Eggs                   -        4
2.Chilli pwdr        -       1 tsp
3.Turmeric pwdr   -       1/4 tsp
4.Hing                   -        a pinch
5.Oil for frying

Method:
* Boil eggs for 10 mins and peel them.
* Cut them into halves.
* In a pan add oil and splutter with mustard seeds&urad dal .
* Add turmeric pwdr ,hing & chilli pwdr.
* Make sure the chilli pwdr does not trun black.
* Slowly dump in the eggs,with yellow facing down.
* Let it cook for 2 to 3 mins.
* Now turn it around and cook for a minute.
* Turn off the heat and serve with rice.

Note:
To peel the eggs without breaking, peel the inner skin along with outer shell.This helps us to get eggs without any pits.The masala left in the pan will be too gud.We used to coat that with rice and make into small rice balls.We all will fight to get that rice ball .Its much worthy for a fight.

Egg Curry

Fish cutlet /Patties

We were invited for diwali to Saras and Thara home.After one lone some diwali, we had good time with their family.We had a  feast that day.My husband and me went crazy ,after having her fish cutlet.It was awsome.I took a oath that I shud try it imediately.Luckily i had a shark slice sitting at my home.Anxiously waited till sunday and prepared this wonderful dish.It came out really well.My husband's face lit up immediately when he saw these for lunch.This dish is full of nutrition and ofcourse less oil.
"Savitha's kitchen is all about healthy living and happy eating".Ok podhum build up,come lets see my little cuties.

Cutlet ready to serve!!!!

Ingredients:
1.Shark                    -      1 pound
2.Onion                    -      1/2
3.Green chillies       -       4
4.Garlic                   -        5
5.Chilli pwdr          -        1/2 tbsp
6.Garam masala      -         1/4 tbsp
7.Soy sauce             -         1 tbsp
8.Cilantro
9.Bread slices         -        2

For coating:
1.Egg                   -       2
2.Bread crumbs   -        1 cup

Method:
* Cook the shark in a pan  with some salt and turmeric pwdr,until it is soft.
* Shred it and keep it aside.
* Chop onions,garlic and green chillies.
* Take another pan, add a tbsp of oil and saute onion,green chillies and garlic.
* Make sure that they do not over cook.
* Sprinkle chilli pwdr,garam masala pwdr and mix it well.
* Pour the soy sauce and mix with the onion well.
* Pour the contents into the shredded shark and knead it with the bread slices.
* There shud not be any lumps .
* Now add the chopped cilantro and form small patties .

Patties -ready to get coated...

* Take eggs in a bowl and dip the patties in it.
* Coat it with the bread crumbs and shallow fry it in a tava.
* If u have so many patties , then we can freeze it in the freezer after coating with bread crumbs.
* So whenever, we want ,we can just thaw it and fry it in a tava.

Note:
We can also add G&G paste.We can do veg cutlet the same way ,by adding all boiled veges and without egg wash,but with maida dip.
Fish Fry

Coconut Laddoo with a rava twist ( Diwali encounter)

 My Diwali sweets ends with this special sweet.I was abt to prepare  coconut burfi,but matters changed when my syrup got me into  tragedy.So i gave a twist by adding rava to the sweet.Believe me it tasted awsome.When i gave to my friends,they said it remainded there childhood days,where we get these rava-coconut laddoo from sonpappadi vendor.I was thrilled to hear these comments as it was abt to be wasted.From now on, my perception abt cooking got a new turn.The moral is"We can adjust anything and form a new dish".It was a thrilling - wonderful experience and i shud thank saras for giving me valuable ideas.

Coconut rava laddoo!!!

 Ingredients:
1.Shredded coconut                      -     4 cups
2.Roasted Rava                             -     1/2 cup
3.Sugar                                         -       2 cups
4.Condensed milk                        -        2 tbsp
5.Ghee                                          -        2 tbsp
6.Cardamom pwdr                       -        1 tsp


Method:
* In a pan, add sugar and cover it with water.
* Bring it to one string consistancy, i.e when u place the syrup in a plate,it shud not move.
* It shud be like a pearl.
* At this point, add  coconut  and mix it well.
* Let it mix well with the syrup.
* Now add rava and mix it.
* Chk the sweetness now,if u feel it is low, then add the condensed milk.
* Finish the sweet by adding  ghee and sprinkling some cardamom pwdr.
* At this point, the mixture wud have become thick ,with no water.
* Then its ready to shape .
* Now take it from the stove and grease ur palm with ghee.
* Shape them into small balls.
* Cool the balls in a plate and transfer it to a air tight container.
* Refrigerate it,as it has coconut.

Note:
If u dont want to add condensed milk, then go ahead and replace it with 2 cups of sugar.
Coconut Barfi

Prawn Gravy

My husband goes for hair cut to a vietnamese shop.Next to that we have a chinese shop, where sea food are fresh and cheap.Since this shop is far from our house, we will not go very often.This week he went for his hair cut and bought prawn and shark for me.I love the texture of these prawns , as they r fresh and just resemble our indian prawns.
I had bottle gourd sitting in my fridge.As it is not my hubby's favourite, so thoguht of adding it with prawn.As bottle gourd are watery veges,they can absorb the flavor of prawns and  change into vege-prawns.U can never distinguish between prawn and bottle gourd.After our lunch, i asked my husband whether there was any difference.He cud not say anything.
Hmmm made my husband and kid have veges and  prawn together.Its a big victory for me.
Here comes my recipe of prawn and bottle gourd.

Prawn (Bottle gourd)Gravy !!!

Ingredients:
1.Prawn                    -     1 pound
1(a).Bottle gourd      -      1 cup
2.Onion                     -      1  (big)
3.Tomato                   -      1 ( big)
4.G&G paste             -      1 tbsp
5.Chilli pwdr            -       1 tbsp
6.Green chillies        -       2
7.Curry leaves
8.Cilantro                

Method:
* Wash and peel prawns.
* Wash and cube the bottle gourd.
* Chop onion,tomato,green chillies finely.
* Take a pan, add a tbsp of oil and splutter with mustard seeds,curry leaves.
* Saute onion,green chillies untill it turns light brown.
* Add tomato and sprinkle some salt.
* When tomato disintergrates ,add turmeric pwdr and chilli pwdr.
* Saute till it looses its raw smell.
* Dump in the prawn,bottle gourd and saute it well.
* Add the G&G paste to the mixture.Let it saute well.
* Adjust salt to taste.
* Turn off the heat ,when the gravy becomes thick.
* Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot rice.

Note:
This bottle gourd wud taste like prawn after it is cooked well.
Shrimp/prawn Fry

Secrets of crispy Ulundhu vadai ( Urad dal vada)

Ulundhu vadai is my husband's all time favourite.But when we prepare it ,it wont have its crispness till we serve for guests.I was wondering ,how we get crispy vadas in hotels.I got the answer to this question, when i went for my friend manju's function.Her mom ,gave me this secret of crispy vadai.

Diwali gave me the oppurtunity to prepare vadai.I tried, believe me even my son started asking for vadai more and more.I am thankful for manju's mom,who gave me this secret.




Ulundhu Vadai

Ingredients:
1.Urad dal                             -        1 cup
2.Rice                                    -        1 tbsp
3.Rava                                   -         1 tsp
4.Green chillies                     -         4
5.Ginger                                 -         1/2 inch
6.Onion                                  -         1/2
7.Curry leaves
8.Cilantro

Method:
* Wash and soak urad dal for 1 hour.
* Chop onion,2 green chillies ,curry leaves and cilantro.
* Grind urad dal,rice,ginger and remaining 2 green chillies into a fine batter.
* Try to add little water while grinding.
* Transfer the batter into a bowl and mix it well ,until it gives out bubbles.
* This mixing makes the batter fluffy.
* Add the chopped onion,green chillies,curry leaves and cilantro into the batter.
* At this point, add rava to the batter.This rava makes the vadai retain its crispness.
* Heat oil in a pan.
* Wet ur hand and place a ball of  batter and pat it .
* Slowly drop it in oil.
* Fry the vadai in hot oil.
* Take the vadai out and wipe it off with tissue.
* serve with chutney or sambar.

Believe me this vadai will retain its crispness for atleast 2 to 3 hrs.