Carrot & Broccoli rabe stir fry /Carrot-broccoli keerai thoran

This recipe is a simple stir fry having 2 healthy ingredients. Carrot which is an excellent source of Vitamin A,  and broccoli rabe, rich in iron..thus the combo is sure good for health. :)

I got a fresh broccoli during our last visit to Farmers market here. The other day I was planning to make Broccoli paruppu usili, and didn't want to waste the greens. Saw the carrots, and the lovely colour combo of orange & green strike my mind. We had a nice meal consisting of rice - adzuki beans bottle gourd kuzhambu-broccoli usili and carrot-broccoli rabe thoran.

Ingredients
Chopped Carrot -1/2cup
Chopped broccoli rabe -1/4cup
Mustard seeds-1/2teaspoon
Urad dal-1teaspoon
Few curry leaves
Salt
Oil(Preferably coconut oil)
To grind
Grated coconut-2tablespoons
Green chilly-1
Cumin seeds-1/2teaspoon f

Method
Grind the coconut-green chilly-cumin seeds (with very little water) into a coarse mixture.

Heat some oil in a pan, make the tempering with mustard seeds-urad dal-curry leaves.

Then add in the carrot, sprinkle little water and cook it.
Add the broccoli rabe and the coconut mixture when the carrots are 3/4th done.

Add enough salt and mix everything well. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Healthy n delicious stir fry is ready. It goes well with rice n roti. 

Misal Pav

 

Ingredients 
Pav Buns - 4
Butter - 1/2tablespoon
Dried yellow peas/ White peas -1/4cup
To sauté and grind 
Onion -1
Tomato -2
Ginger-2" piece
Garlic -3 cloves
Fresh Coconut - 2 to 3 tablespoons
Oil
To temper
Oil - 1tablespoon
Cumin seeds-1/2teaspoon
Chilli powder- 11/2teaspoon
Amchur powder- 1/2teaspoon
Coriander powder-11/2teaspoon
Turmeric powder-1/4teaspoon
Sugar -1/2teaspoon
Salt
Cilantro to garnish
Chopped onions and chivda - as needed.

Method
Soak the peas over night, pressure cook it with enough salt for 2-3 whistles and keep it ready.

Heat little oil in a pan, sauté the items given under "to sauté and grind". Let it cool and grind it into a fine paste.

Heat a tablespoon of oil and add the cumin seeds. Let it splutter, then add in all the powders. (Take care, do not burn masala powders)

Once the raw smell from the powders are gone, add in the ground masala paste.

Add  a cup of water, and let it boil.

Now add in the cooked peas, adjust the salt(as the peas already has the salt, check for it). Let it boil nicely for 5- 6 minutes.

Finally add in the sugar and cilantro, put off the flame.

Heat a griddle and toast the pav buns with butter.

 

Take required amount of misal in a bowl, top it with chopped onions and chivda/mixture/boondhi.

Serve hot along with toasted buns.

Recipe Inspiration: HERE

Semiya-Javvarisi Payasam/Sago-Vermicelli Kheer

 Back home  the sago-vermicelli combo for payasam is common. But once(and only once! ;)) I tried making sago payasam, but ended up pretty badly. After that I never turned my head on sago while making payasam. I was happily settled with vermicelli payasam and paruppu payasam. Actually I almost forgot buying sago..then started buying it for the sago kichidi / javvarisi upma. Only a few days back suddenly remembered the sago-vermicelli payasam, and prepared it with extra caution. It turned out to be delicious.
Ingredients
Sago / Javvarisi /Sabudana -1/4cup
Vermicelli / Semia - 1/4cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Milk -1 cup
Elaichi -2
Few cashews and raisin
Ghee- 1tablespoon

Method
Bring a cup of water to a roaring boil, add the vermicelli and cook for 3 minutes. Strain it immediately, wash it cold water and keep it aside.
Take the sago in a cup of water, and cook. Stir it occasionally and add more water if required and cook for about 20 minutes. By that time, sago pearls would be cooked perfectly  and they will be transparent. Drain the excess water, wash it with cold water and keep it ready.
Boil a cup of milk in a separate pan. Add the cooked vermicelli and sago to it.
Add sugar and mix it well.
Let it cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes.

Meanwhile fry the cashews and raisins in a tablespoon of ghee and keep it aside. Crush the cardamoms and keep it ready.
I added a tablespoon of powdered nuts [cashew-almonds], its purely optional. This powder gives a nice taste to the payasam.
Finally add in (half of) the roasted cashews and raisins and cardamom powder. Reserve the rest of cashew-raisins for garnishing while serving.
Delicious sago- vermicelli payasam is ready to serve. You can have it warm or cold. Can be enjoyed with paruppu vadai as well.

Rasa Vadai

This is a very quick and interesting recipe when you make masal vadai (or) urad dal vadai. Soak the vadai in rasam for 2 to 3 hours and you get a nice evening snack. :) Can garnish with kara boondi / mixture while serving.

Click here for the rasam recipe.

Click here for the Masal vadai recipe

Click here for Urad dal vada / Methu vada

I have used masal vadai/paruppu vadai in this recipe. You can make the same with Methuvada too. Soak the vadai in rasam for at least a couple of hours.

Microwave the individual servings for 30 seconds, garnish with cilantro/boondhi/chivda/mixture.

I was running out of all the garnishing snack items mentioned above,  hence I just added cilantro and rasa vadai tasted yum! 

Orange Marmalade Coffee Cake

Ingredients 

All purpose flour -11/4cups

Sugar-1/2 cup +1/4cup(for the middle layer)

Orange marmalade-1/4 cup+2tablespoons(at room temperature)

Orange Juice -taken from half of an orange.

Baking powder-3/4teaspoon

Baking soda-1/4teaspoon

Salt-1/4teaspoon

Eggs-2 (at room temperature)

Vanilla essence-1teaspoon 

Butter-6tablespoons(at room temperature)

Curd-1/4cup(at room temperature)

Cinnamon powder-1/2teaspoon 

Orange zest- 11/2teaspoons

For the Glaze

Icing Sugar - 3tablespoons

Orange Marmalade -2tablespoons

Orange juice - taken from half of an orange.

Method

Mix the flour-baking powder-baking soda, sieve it twice and keep it aside.

Grate the zest from the orange, cut it into 2 parts, squeeze one part and keep it aside. 

Start beating the softened butter in a mixing bowl. After a minute add the sugar and beat the mixture till it becomes creamy. 

Now add in the eggs and vanilla. Mix everything well. 

Add in the orange marmalade and curd, mix it.

Then add in the orange zest along with the juice (taken from one part of the orange)

After beating everything together, start adding the flour and fold it. 

Meanwhile take the 1/4 cup sugar along with cinnamon powder, mix it well and keep it aside. 

Pour half of the cake mixture into a greased pan, sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon powder mix evenly on the cake. Then pour the remaining mixture in the pan. 

Tap the pan and level the batter, bake it for 35 to 40 minutes in the 350F preheated oven.

 

Meanwhile prepare the glaze. Take 2 tablespoons of marmalade and microwave it for about 10-20 seconds. Take it out, add the orange juice from the remaining part of the orange, and add 3 tablespoons of icing sugar. Mix it well and keep it ready. 

Check the cake after 35-40 minutes (insert a knife into the cake, knife should come out clean) and take it out. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then loosen the edges, invert it onto a plate, pour some of the glaze.  

Turn the cake and poke small holes with  a fork or wooden skewer. Pour the remaining glaze evenly on the warm cake and let it sit for one or 2 hours.

Delicious orange marmalade coffee cake is ready to serve. Cut it into slices and serve. 

Recipe inspiration : Here

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Happy Valentines Day! 

..To see more stunning Heart images created by Mother Nature, click Here.

Thanks to - Yahoo Images.

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Sending this recipe to "Passion on Plate" event happening at "En Iniya Illam"

Quinoa Upma

Edit

Ingredients
Quinoa -1/2cup
Water -1cup
Shallot-1
Green chilly - 2 to 3 (adjust to your taste)
Cilantro- to garnish
Channa dal ,Urad dal - 1 teaspoon each
Mustard seeds-1/2teaspoon
Sugar-1/4teaspoon
Salt
Oil

Method
Combine the quinoa with a cup of water and start cooking. Once it started boiling, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan and cook for 7 minutes.

Open the pan, stir it once, reduce the heat to low,  and cook for couple more minutes. (For me, it took roughly about10 minutes to cook). By now the quinoa wont stick to the pan and transparent.

Remove it from the stove, keep it closed for five more minutes.
Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil, add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Now add in the dal, fry till they become golden in colour.

 

Add in the chopped shallots, green chillies, curry leaves(I forgot to add! ;)) and fry for a while.

 Now add in the salt-sugar and give it a quick mix.

 Add in the cooked quinoa, toss it well and reduce the heat to low.

 After 2-3 minutes, add the chopped cilantro and put off the flame.

Healthy and tasty desi style quinoa upma is ready. Serve it with your choice of side dish/pickle/Sugar.

I had it with Mint-onion-tomato chutney and Tomato chutney.

Avacodo chapati / Avocado roti

Ingredients

Ripened avocado -1

Lemon juice-2 teaspoons

Chilli powder-1/teaspoon

Coriander powder-1teaspoon 

Whole wheat flour -13/4 cup 

Water

Oil

Salt

Method 

Cut the avocado n scoop the pulp, squeeze the lemon juice and mash it well.

Add the chilly -coriander powders and salt with avocado and mix everything.

Add in the aata, slowly add water and make a stiff dough.

Keep it in an airtight container for 1/2hour.

Make lemon size balls out of the dough, and make Roti's.

Heat a griddle, and cook the Roti's. Sprinkle little oil and cook on both sides.

Soft and healthy chapati / roti is ready. Serve it with any spicy kurma. :)

Tomato Kurma with Coconut chutney

 

One day I tried this kurma accidentally and we got hooked up with this ever after! Now a days I make sure that there is  some left over chutney to make this kurma for the next meal! ;)

Ingredients 
Coconut chutney-1/4cup
Tomato -2
Onion - 1
Green chilly -1
Mustard seeds -1/2teaspoon
Cumin seeds -1/2teaspoon
Sakthi curry masala powder - 2teaspoons
Turmeric powder-1/8teaspoon
Sugar -1/4teaspoon
Salt
Oil
Few curry leaves and cilantro

Method
Chop the onions-g/chilly and tomato.
Heat some oil in a pan, make the tempering with mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
Add in the onions and green chilly. Fry till the onion becomes translucent.
Now add the tomato and cook till it become mushy.
Add turmeric powder, coconut chutney and a cup of water.

Adjust the salt and let the content boil.
Finally add in the curry powder and sugar. Reduce the heat to low, cook for 5 more minutes.
Garnish with cilantro, and the delicious tomato kurma is ready. It tastes great with idli / dosa .

Even though any curry powder can be used for the kurma, I prefer Sakthi curry masala powder. I always buy a few packs of Sakthi curry masala powder from India and keep it in my freezer. :)  So... friends back home, you have a chance of getting this masala easily, so try the kurma with the masala!