Avocado Cucumber salad

Preparation  Time : 15 mins

Ingredients:

Avocado - 1
Cucumber - 1
Onion - 1/2
Tomato - 1
Green Chili - 1-2
Kottambari/Cilantro - 2 sp
Olive Oil - 2 sp
Salt - As per taste


Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, add finely chopped Onion, Tomato, Cucumber, Green Chili and Cilantro.
2. Cut Avocado and discard the seed. scoop Avocado to the mixing bowl and discard the skin.
3. Add Olive oil, salt as per requirement, mix well and enjoy.
4. you can add few drops of fresh lime juice as well.

Madduru Vade

Its a very famous traditional snack prepared in south karnataka and originated from a place near Mysore called Madduru. Its very easy and takes very less time.

Preparation time : 30 mins

Ingredients:

Rice Flour - 1 measure
Maida/All purpose flour - 1/2 measure
Rava - 1/2 measure 
Curry leaves - 2 twig (Finely chopped)
Oinion - 1 medium size
Green Chilies - 2 (Finely chopped)
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 and half spoon
Red chilli powder - 1/4 sp
Kadale hittu/Channa flour - 1 sp
Salt - As per taste
Oil - Deep frying
Plastic sheets

Method:

1. Keep oil for heating in a deep frying pan.
2. In a big mixing bowl add all the above ingredients. i.e Rice Flour, Maida, Rava, Kadale hittu/Channa flour, Ginger Garlic paste, Finely chopped Onions, Curry leaves, Green Chili, Red Chili Powder and Salt as per requirement
3. Add  6-7 spoons of hot oil to the mixing bowl and use spoon to mix well
4. Add water in a small quantity and prepare dough. It should be very hard than Chapati dough.
5. Take a big lemon size dough, place it between a good quality plastic sheet and gently press with your palms. It must be quite thick around 1/4th inch in thickness. You can also choose to roll them but its very important to be bit thick. 
6. Place them slowly into hot oil until Onions are little brown. Remove them into a plate with napkins and serve hot with Green Chutney, Coconut Chutney or with Tomato Sauce. Its makes a good evening snacks during winter. 

Let me know how did you enjoyed this with your family in comments :)

Cluster beans rice bath

Preparation time : 30 mins

Ingredients

• Basmati rice - 1 bowl
• Cluster beans/ Gorikai - (cleaned n cut into 1/2 inch length)  - 1/2 cup
• Onion - 1 medium size 
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1sp
• Bay leaf - 1
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 sp
• Fresh/Frozen peas - 1/2 cup
• Kadale bele/ Channa dal - 1 sp
• Hunase rasa/Tamarind paste - 1/2 sp
• Bella/Jaggery - 1/2 sp
• Vangi bath powder - 2 sp
• Salt - as per taste
• Oil - 3-4 sp
• Curry Leaves - few.

Method

1. Thoroughly wash the rice 2-3 times and drain the water completely.
2. Finely chop Onions, cut cluster beans into 1/2 inch length wise. 
3. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pressure cooker.
4. Add Mustard seeds, Bay leaf, Channa Dal, Curry leaves n fry well.
5. Add finely chopped Onions, Ginger Garlic paste and continue to fry.
6. Add Fresh/Frozen peas. If you are using dry peas, soak them over night and use.
7. Add Cluster Beans/Gorikai and continue to fry for few mins.
8. Add washed Basmati rice and fry for a minute.
9. Add 2 -3 sp of readily available or home made vangi bath powder. I have used the MTR vangi bath powder. Mix well
10. Add Salt as per taste.
11. Add water. Water must be double the measure of rice.
12. Add 2 sp of Hunase Rasa/tamarind pulp. If you are using readily available tamarind paste, approx 1/4th sp would be sufficient as they are concentrated n strong in taste.
13. Add 1/2 sp of Bella/Jaggery. It will reduce the spiciness and its completely optional.
14. Cover the lid and cook until 2 whistles. Serve hot. It takes hardly 30 mins to prepare. Let me know how did your family liked it in the comments.

Vermiceli Upma

Dear Lovelies,

This is my son's favourite and thought would be helpful to all moms who worry a lot about there lil ones not eating food.

preparation time : 30 mins

Ingredients:

• Vermiceli
• Onion - 1 medium
• Green Chili/Red Chili - 2-3
• Curry leaves
• Oil - 2-3 sp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 sp
• Uddina Bele/Urad dal - 1/2 sp
• Kadale Bele/Channa Dal - 1/2 sp
• Cashews - around 10
• Tomato - about 1/2
• Salt as per taste
• Turmeric - a pinch
• Coriander leaves/Cilantro - about 1 sp finely chopped

It is very simple n can be prepared in no time and very colourful. The trick is that vermiceli must be separated and it should not be sticky. here goes the method.

1. Firstly dry roast the vermicelli until they are very light brown in color. Simultaneously bring water to boil in a sauce pan. (approx ratio might be 1 cup of vermiceli into 2 and 1/2 cup of water would be sufficient). Add 1/2 t sp salt and few drops of oil into the boiling water. Now add the dry roasted vermiceli into the water, turn off the flame, cover it for 2 mins and remove all the excess water using strainer. Adding few drops of oil is the trick for vermiceli tobe non sticky.
2. Prepare tadka with Oil, Mustard Seeds, curry leaves, Red/Green chilies, Channa n Urad dals, Cashwes, Onions. Cook until Onions are transparent. Add Tomatoes and cook until they are soft. Add pinch of Tumeric powder. 
3. Add the Vermiceli and Salt as per taste. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro n Serve hot.

Ps: It makes a good evening time snack or a light break fast. You can alwys skip tomatoes n add fresh lime juice according to your taste and also number of chillies can be varied depending on the requirement. Do try and let us know your experience. Happy Cooking!!

Homemade Rasam

Dear All,

Before I list the ingredients and method, let me share the benefits of home made Rasam. 
We are not using any ready made rasam powder available in stores in preparing this Rasam, we are using ingredients like Jeera, Black Pepper, Garlic n Hing which are believed to aid in digestion, helps in curing cold n soothes the sore throats while suffering from cough n more over good to activate taste buds after recovering from fever...As it is good to have daily during winter with hot rice n home made ghee...n more over does not take much time to prepare :)

Ingredients
Togari bele/Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1/2
Water - 1 to 1and 1/2 cup
Few drops of oil

pressure cook all the above ingredients until 2-3 whistles, smash the cooked dal n tomato into smooth paste.

Now roughly crush 1/2 sp Jeera, 8-10 Black pepper corns n 3-4 pods of Garlic with the help of mortar and pestle and add to the cooked dal and heat on medium flame. Add Salt as per the requirement,  about a 1/4 sp of tamarind pulp and a big grape fruit size of Jaggery bring it to boil.

Now, don't forget to finish the Rasam with a tadka/tampering with a spoon of oil, Mustard seeds, broken Red chilies, Few Curry leaves n a big pinch of Hing. Garnish with fresh cilantro n server with hot rice and spoon of ghee.

Instant Pulav - MTR Pulav Powder

Preparation time : 40 mins

Ingredients

• Rice  - 1 big bowl
• Mixed veg (Carrots, French Beans, Peas, Cauliflower - All paraboiled) - 1 cup
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 2
• MTR Pulav Powder - 2 sp
• Oil - 6-7 sp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 sp
• Cashew  - 15
• Salt - as per taste
• Ghee - 2-3 sp

Method :

1. Pressure cook  Rice and allow it to cool room temperature. To cook rice 1:2 measurement is preferred.
2. As a part of prepreparation, cut all the vegitables Carrots, French Beans, and clean Cauliflower florrets and half boil all the veggies along with peas, drain excess water and keep it aside.
3. Finely chop Onions and tomatoes.
4. Heat a heavy frying pan on medium flame. Add Ghee and allow it to heat.
5. Add Cashwes and fry until light brown, remove and keep it aside.
6. To the same frying pan, add Oil, once Oil is heated add Mustard Seeds and allow to splutter.
7. Add Finley chopped Onions and fry for few mins unitl they are transparent.
8. Add Finely chopped Tomatoes and cook covered on low flame until they are soft.
9. Simmer the flame and add half cooked vegetables (from step 2) and cooked rice (from Step 1), Salt and MTR Plav powder to the frying pan and mix well
10. Add fried cashwes from step 5, mix well and serve. I find its very easy and very instant  to prepare than the regular method and must say very very yummy!!!

Adding Cashwes is optional but I would love to add them.