Curd rice

This is one traditional dish served in every lunch and dinner buffet in South India. The importance of this dish is that it helps in digestion and also helps in lowering the body temperature. This is good serving specially in Summer months.

Ingredients:-

1 cup rice.

1cup curd

2 tsp of groundnuts

4 curry leaves

1 tsp pomegranate seeds.

1 tsp garlic finely chopped

1 tsp green chilli chopped

1/4tsp ginger finely chopped

1/4 tsp toor dal/arhar dal

2tsp oil

1tsp cumin and mustard seeds

salt to taste

Procedure:- Cook the rice and keep it aside to cool down. Once when it is in room temperature add the curd and make sure the level of curd reaches more than the level of rice. Keep it  for more than 5 hrs. In a pan heat 2tsp of oil. Add cumin and mustard seeds when its hot. Then add green chilli followed by garlic and ginger. Add groundnuts and arhar dal when ginger and garlic turns brown in color. When groundnut starts turning redish brown add curry leaves. Then let the oil and mixture cool down to room temperature. Mix requisite amount of salt to the curd and rice mixture. Finally, when the oil and mixture are cooled then mix it in curd and rice mixture. Decorate it with pomegranate seeds and serve.

Brinjal fritters

This is little diversion to the brinjal pakoras or baigani(traditional name of the dish in Orissa). Here, instead of deep frying the brinjals with a mound of Besan(cheakpea flour), I have used sprinkling amount of corn flour. Instead of corn flour if rice flour is added that will give similar taste to it.

Ingredients:-
2 brinjals(medium size)
corn flour 100 gms
2 green chilli chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
oil for frying

Procedure:- Cut the brinjals after washing throughly into thin slices. Sprinkle the cornflour,chilli and chilli powder,salt and mix them. If required add a little amount of water. Heat oil in a pan. When its properly heated, fry the brinjals. This will give crispy brinjal fritters. Enjoy with sauce.

Dahi Baigan/Baingan

This is a traditional Oriya dish. It is served as an additional dish along with the major dish of rice and curries. The dish has a sweet and sour flavour.

Ingredients:-

4 medium sized brinjal

250 gm curd

salt to taste

Paanch Phutan (Cumin, Fennel,Fenugreek,Mustard & Black seeds)

sugar optional

pinch of turmeric

1 red chili

Procedure:-

Cut the brinjals into thin strips. Add salt and turmeric to it. Either you can fry them in medium flame or you can deep fry them. Deep frying helps in not breaking the brinjals in between. However, while frying you need to be careful not to break the slices.

Now fro tampering, take 1 tsp of oil in a pan. When its hot add the Paanch Phutan seeds. When they start cracking ,add the red chili to it and remove from flame.

In another container take the whole curd and whisk it. If you want to make it thinner then add little water to it. Add salt to it. When the oil that we prepared cools to room temperature add it into the curd. Now add the brinjals and keep it for sometime before serving. This can be served chill.

Notes:-

1- The tampering mixture should be cooled to room temperature before putting in curd inorder to avoid spoiling the texture of curd.

2- Care should be taken while frying brinjals in order to avoid breaking the slices.

Instant Cucumber Rava uttapam

This dish is an experiment with Rava Uttapam. This dish hardly takes 10 minutes of preparation time. And is very easy and tasty. This is an ideal way breakfast on any busy day.

Ingredients:-

1 cup Suji/Rava

 1/2 Cup Curd

1/4th cup water

1/2 cucumber grated.

1/2 onion chopped finely

1 green chilli chopped.

Salt to taste

2 tbsp of oil

Procedure :-

In a bowl mix the Rava with curd,cucumber,onion,green chilli. The cucumber will leave some water so depending on the requirement add water or leave it. The paste should not be very thick or thin and should be  smooth batter to spread easily over pan. Add salt to the mixture. Heat a pan and let the batter spread over it in a circular manner. When its little coocked add oil at the sides and also in the top. Then overturn the Uttapam and let it cook on the other side. Add few more drops of oil sufficient enough to not allow the batter to stick. When cooked remove from flame. Serve with chutney.

Notes :- 1- use of nonstick pan allows to use less amount of oil.

2- The same dish can be made without onions to give more cucumber falvour.

Try this and let me know your feedback.

Stuffed Onion rings

This dish is inspired by the stuffed Onions in Master Chef India. I have used the stuffing of brinjal with potato and tomato. The stuffing can be changed according to your own choice.

Ingredient :-

1- Large Onions

2- Stuffing of your own choice. i have used brinjal and potato tossed in tomato and cheese.

Procedure:-

This dish is prepared in pan and I did not use any oven to bake the onions. However, the same can be done using oven t bake the onions. Peel the outer cover of onion and cut through the bases. In a thick bottomed pan add a little oil and put the onions to roast. Overturn the onions when the bottom is cooked. Then,remove from flame and let it cool down.  Using a small knife scoop out the inside section of each onion. The inside portion can be used in preparing the stuffing.

Stuffing :-

Add about 1 tsp of oil to pan. When hot add onions and chopped tomatoes. Add salt and turmeric to it. When the tomatoes are cooked properly add a finely chopped potato and finely chopped brinjal. Cook for about 10 mins and remove from flame.

Now, fill the stuffing inside the onions and top it up with cheese. Heat a little amount of cheese in a pan and again bake the onions for 2 mins until the cheese starts dripping from the onion top. Garnish with tomato and coriander and serve hot with tomato and chili sauce.

Try this starter and let me know your feedback.

Potala/Parwal aloo kasha

This is a traditional Oriya main dish. The main ingredients are Potala/Parwal/Parval and potato.The same dish can be modified to a more gravy version.

Ingredients:-

1- 250gm Potala/Parwal

2- 2 medium sized potato

3-1 big onion chopped finely

4- 2 green chili

5- 1 red chili

6- 1 bay leaf

7- 1 tbsp garam masala

6- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

7-1 cinnamon

8- 2 tomatoes finely chopped

9-salt as per taste

10- 1 tbsp turmeric

11- 4 tbsp oil

Procedure:-

Wash Potala/Parwal  and cut them into 2 pieces diagonally as show in the picture. The potatoes should be cut into medium size and should have the peel. In a pan add oil. When its heated add the potato cubes. Fry them till it turns golden brown. Now, remove potatoes and add the Potala/Parwal and fry them till they turn brown in color. After, removing these from oil,tissue paper can be used to soak the excess oil. Potala/Parwal and potatoes would like the picture below.

Now, add to the oil, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they start cracking, add red chili followed by green chili and bay leaf. Then, add onions and ginger garlic paste. when this mixture turns brown in color add the chopped tomato followed by salt,turmeric,garam masala and cinnamon. Cook till tomato is cooked to make fine paste with masala. Then add the vegetables in it. Mix the whole ingredients very well and add half cup water and cook the curry in simmer for about 10 minutes. The same curry can be modified to have more gravy.In this one  have kept a little amount of gravy to give a dry look.

Serve it hot.The dish tastes good with rice or roti.

Try this and post me your comments.

Spicy Chivda

Hi,

This is another munching snack,that is very easy to prepare and could be stored for a longer time. This dish has almost all the ingredients that the Sabudana Musmus has with addition to its main ingredient Chivda (Poha/parched rice).

Ingredients:-

1- Chivda(poha or parched rice) - 200 gms.

 1 bowl of Sabudana(tapioca balls-bigger variety).

2- 2 table spoon of ground nut seeds baked.
3- 4 to 5 curry leaves
4- 1 green chili(finely chopped)
5- 1 small onion chopped
6- 2 to 3 garlic flakes chopped
7- pinch of salt
8- pinch of turmeric powder
9- pinch of asafoetida
10- cumin seeds and mustard seed to crackle in oil
11- 4 tbsp of oil

12 - mixture - 100 gms.

Procedure :-

First of all fry the chivda dry in a pan. There is no necessity to add oil.Similarly, fry the peanuts. Deep fry Sabudana in oil as mentioned in earlier post(Sabudana musmus). Then in remaining oil add the cumin seed and mustard seeds. After these starts cracking, add the curry leaves,followed by green chili,garlic and onion.Then add salt,turmeric and asafoetida.Wait until onions turn brown in color. Then add the roasted peanuts. Then add the sabudana fry and Chivda fry to the mixture. Adding mixture(sev mixture) is optional and depends on your taste.

Try this munching snack and let me know your feedback.

Thank you.

Sabudana Musmus

This is a crunchy snack delight from the kitchen of India. This has been one of the traditional snack in almost all parts of India. It's one of the simplest,crunchy and spicy snacks, and loved by all age groups. The main ingredient in this recipe is sabudana(tapioca balls). I love to put a mouthful of this snacks in evening hours along with a sip of tea or coffee.

Now, its time to describe this crunchy and chatpata snack.

Ingredient:-
1- 1 bowl of Sabudana(tapioca balls-bigger variety).
2- 2 table spoon of ground nut seeds baked.
3- 4 to 5 curry leaves
4- 1 green chili(finely chopped)
5- 1 small onion chopped
6- 2 to 3 garlic flakes chopped
7- pinch of salt
8- pinch of turmeric powder
9- pinch of asafoetida
10- cumin seeds and mustard seed to crackle in oil
11- 4 tbsp of oil

Procedure :-
 In a thick bottomed pan add the oil to heat. When its hot, add 2 tbsp of sabudana to deep fry. Add smaller amount of sabudana so that it fries properly. When all the sabudana is fried keep it aside. Add cumin and mustard seeds to the remaining oil. Once the seeds starts popping, add the curry leaves. Be careful as the washed curry leaves will crackle in oil. Immediately add the green chili, onion and garlic to it. when the onions turn deep brown in colour add salt, turmeric powder and asafoetida to it. Then add the groundnut seeds. If you like cashew nuts and raisins , that can be added along with groundnuts. Once they have mixed well in oil add the fried sabudana to it.  Serve when its cool.

This snack can be stored in any airtight container for a long duration.

Now, readers try and enjoy this Indian snack and share your feedback with me.

Thank you.