Annam paravanam - Rice Pudding

1 cup Basmati Rice - any Raw Rice
1.5 cups grated Jaggery
2" Butter stick or Ghee
¼ tsp Elachi powder
4 cups Milk
1 cup half-half : Optional
Cashew nuts, Almonds and Raisins

In a small skillet add 2 tsp of ghee and fry cashew nuts, almonds and raisins till they are nicely roasted.

In a medium sauce pan wash and drain water. Add 2 cups water and cook on low/medium flame mixing well.

When the water and rice starts to boil add milk and cook until the rice becomes soft. Water or milk can be added as needed. Keep mixing so that it will not burn. Add elachi powder and butter stick (or ghee can be added according to taste). Half -half can be added just 2 minutes before removing from the flame, this gives a very rich taste to the dish. Add a pinch of pacha-karpuram (camphor) {Not the regular arati camphor, this is edible}, this gives any sweet dish, temple prasadam taste.

Remove from flame and after 2 minutes add grated jaggery and mix well. Do not cook after adding jaggery, this will break the milk. The heat in the mixture will make the jaggery melt and mix evenly.

Garnish with fried nuts, raisins and serve hot.

Garelu - Meduvada

Garelu with allam pachadi and nuvu pachadi.
2 cups Urad dal
Chili-ginger paste - Optional
Oil to fry

Soak urad dal in water for 2 – 3 hours. Drain water and grind to a smooth batter. Add salt to the dal while grinding by adding it later the dough will become soggy and watery. Add as less water as possible while grinding. Solid dough gives a good shape to the garelu.

For spicy or karam garelu add chili-ginger paste to the dough. Also add chopped onions if you like onion garelu (ulli-garelu).

Heat oil in a kadai (I personally prefer a traditional concave shape kadai for maximum usage of space with less oil) and never let the oil be screaming hot! It burns the first batch.

Wet hands and take small lemon size dough and place it on a wax paper or Aluminum foil (it can be done in the palm of a wet hand also), flatten it into a nice circle and then make a small hole with a finger in the middle. Gently slide this into oil without disturbing its shape.

Let fry for a few seconds and then keep turning back and forth so it will not burn.

Once garelu turn to golden yellow, it’s time to remove from the oil. Place them on paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed.

Ginger (allam) or sesame (nuvu) chutney compliments garelu.

Special Bhojanam

We had a function at home today.

Items in the thali are dondakaye kura, artikaye kura, pesarappu, charu, garelu, allam pachadi, nuvu pachadi, paravanam, magiga mirapakaye, vadiyam, perugu and fresh mango.

Dosa with Idli-batter

1 cup Urad dal
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
4 cups Boiled rice
1 cup Raw rice

Add fenugreek to the urad dal and mix the raw rice and boiled rice. Soak them separately over night.

Grind urad dal and the rice mix to a smooth batter. This should be done separately, once rice and urad dal mixes, texture of the batter will change.

Then they can be mixed together, add salt and mix well and set aside to ferment for 6 - 8 hrs. Yeast or cooking soda can be added for fermentation. Keep in a warm place or in the oven.

Water can be added to the batter as required to make dosa.

Grease a dosa pan with oil and pour the batter spreading evenly with the ladle.
Add a tsp of oil so that dosa can be removed easily. Turn the other side and let roast.

Same batter can be used to make uttappam. Pour the batter a little thick on the skillet sprinkle chopped onion, green chili and ginger on the batter.

Serve it hot with chutney.

Pav Bhaji

3 Potatoes
2 Carrots
1/2 Medium Cabbage
6 - 8 Florets of Cauliflower
2 hand full Beans
2 cups Peas
1 cup Chickpeas - Kabuli chenna
3 Onions
4 Tomatoes or 1 Small can diced Tomatoes
2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
4 Green Chilies
3 tsp Pav-Bhaji Masala
1 tsp Amchur Powder
1 tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes

Peel and cut potatoes and carrots. Cut all the other vegetables.

Place vegetables in this order in a vessel that can be placed in a pressure cooker.
Potatoes, carrots, chick peas, beans, peas, cabbage and on the top cauliflower.
Add enough salt and water and cook in a pressure cooker longer time so the vegetables are all very soft.

Drain the vegetables (do not throw the water away) and using a masher, mash them well so all the vegetables become an even paste. (It is difficult to mash the vegetables with the water.)

In a low bottom non stick pan, take 4 tsp of oil and fry green chilies and onions till they caramelize. Then add the cut tomatoes or tomato paste and cook till done. Then add the mashed vegetables. Add 3 tsp of Pav-bhaji masala, 1 tsp amchur, 1 tsp cumin-coriander powder, 1/2 tsp red chili flakes, turmeric, salt and 2" butter. Add the drained water and bring to a boil, mixing well. Add more water if the bhaji is getting thick.

Check for salt and adjust seasonings accordingly. Garnish with chopped raw onions, coriander and lemon juice.

Serve with toasted bread, pav or any kind of bread or dinner rolls.

Place between bread as a sandwich.

Spicy Asparagus

1 bunch Asparagus
10- 12 Spring Onions
1 Red Onion
2 tsp Besan - Sengapindi
2 tsp Chili Paste
2 tsp grated Garlic
2 tsp sliced Ginger
1 tsp Agi-na-moto
3 tsp Tomato sauce/Ketchup
Coriander

Chop onions and spring onions. Grate Ginger and Garlic.

Chop Asparagus diagonally into 2 “pieces. Boil with salt, turmeric and ½ “butter with enough water in a skillet for 4 to 5 minutes on high flame (Do not overcook). Drain and keep aside.

Take 4 tsp of oil in a non-stick skillet and add sliced/chopped garlic, ginger, the white part of spring onions and onions. Stir fry on high flame till it is nicely done. Then add chili paste, salt, agi-na-moto, ketchup/sauce, the greens of the spring onions and fry for a few minutes.

Taste for salt and seasonings can be adjusted according to taste. Now add the boiled asparagus, 3 tsp besan and 2 tsp oil and mix gently without disturbing the shape of the florets. Besan will coat the asparagus and frying it with the extra oil will give it a crispy, crunchy taste.

Garnish with the chopped spring onion greens and coriander leaves. Serve it hot.

This is a good evening snack or a starter, good as is or as a side dish with breads or Basmati rice.

Tomato Rice

4 cups Basmati rice
2 Onions
6 Tomatoes
1 tsp Tamarind Paste
2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
3 Green Chilies
Few Curry Leaves
4 tsp Garam Masala - From my previous blog in Podis/Powders
4 Bay Leaves
1” Butter Stick
Coriander

Chop onions, chilies and tomatoes.

Take 4 tsp of oil in a skillet add jeera, curry leaves, chopped onions, green chilies, bay leaf and once the onions are translucent, add ginger-garlic paste and chopped tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Let tomatoes cook till done. Then add garam masala.

Wash and drain rice. Then add rice to the masala base. Stir fry for a few minutes.

Transfer from the skillet to a rice cooker and pour 1:1.5 ratio of water for the rice. Add 1” of butter stick in the vessel and taste for salt, seasoning and adjust accordingly. If using Roma tomatoes add a tsp of tamarind paste for tarty taste.

Garnish with fried cashews and chopped coriander.

Papad, vadiyam, potato chips are all good side dishes with tomato rice.