Upma - Finally

Till date Upma and I share a very bad relationship. We never turn out well till date. I always used to be surprised at the Upma's dished out by so many people. Even a beginner used to dish it out properly but mine was always a nice soggy paste. What do I do when hubby dear loves upma? This sad nexus has continued for the last 4 1/2 years.

Then yesterday night when I was blog hopping I happened to visit Aparna's "My diverse Kitchen" where she had shared with all, her "Lump-free Upma", inspired by the photograph I tried it out today morning. I had understood the fact that the water I added was the reason for my upma to become a soggy paste. So today I stuck on to Aparna's tip on adding water and Voila! I also dished out something great.

Check out the photograph. Like hubby dear commented "Finally your upma has come of age".

Subzi ki pulav

Like I mentioned earlier I love making mixed rices. One main advantage I find in it is the fact that the dish can contain all the possible vegetables and also include rice to make it a one wholesome dish meal. I just make a raita as the accopaniment for such rices. My inspiration for this was a TV show which came up when I was flicking channels. The colour and the look of the vegetables where amazing so here it is for you.

Ingredients

Rice Basmatic - 1 cup

Potato - 1 cut into 1" pieces

Beans - 10 cut into 1" pieces

Peas - 1 cup boiled

Carrots - 2 medium cut into 1" pieces

Onion - 1 medium ground into a paste

Garlic - 3 pods - ground into a paste with the onions

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Green chilles - 4 slit lengthwise

Kasuri Methi leaves - 2 tblspn

Salt to taste

Method

Heat ghee in a kadhai. Add the onion and garlic mix and fry for a minute. Add the kasuri methi and continue frying. Then add all the vegetables and fry till cooked. Then add the rice with the necessary water with the green chillies and salt. Cover and cook till the rice is fully done.

I must say that though I was very apprehensive of trying it out, I was thrilled when it was cooking. The flavours that were released was amazing that it even pulled my hubby dear into the kitchen to find out what was being made. So check it out.

An Interesting Evening with Brinjals

Another Sunday, I was tired after a long Saturday night out and as usual I had to clean and wash in the absence of a maid. I was busy with my work when it struck me that I was lucky that I had to do it only once in a while and not on a daily basis. My husband was at his best so he volunteered to cook for me. Sometimes I consider it as a risk but that day I had no other go than to succumb to the offer.
With all smiles he opened my fridge and found for himself the last of my brinjals. The smile was slowly turning into a halo as it was his favorite vegetable. So this is how he made it for me - After cleaning the brinjals, he cut them into four but did not remove them. Then he wiped the brinjals on all sides with some oil. Then he mixed some chilli powder and salt and wiped them all over the brinjals and also stuffed some of them inside. He then lit the kadhai and cooked the brinjals in it. He waited for the outside skin to dishievle after which he separated the pieces and turned sides and allowed the inside flesh to cook.
Though the whole process seemed to me as a big experiment in a chemistry lab, I must admit that the final result was great.

Upma Kozhukkattai - Less is More

An interesting topic – it definitely justifies the fact that food is tasty and at its best when the number of ingredients is very less. I decided on a breakfast item with a lot of accompaniments, chutneys that I had been making for a long time now. All the ingredients in these dishes are readily available in all homes.
So it was “Upma Kozhukkattai”. This item is no stranger to most South Indian households. For the accompaniments I decided on some “Coconut chutney”, Mint Chutney” and “Beerakaya Chutney” (Ridge Gourd)

For the Upma Kozhukkattai

Rice Rave – 1 cup
(You can get this of the shelf or if you want to make it at home just soak some rice in water for 2 hours, dry it and grind it coarsely, sift it before use, this way the powder will get separated and you can use the powder)
Ginger – 1 inch piece finely chopped
Green chilies – 3 finely chopped
Curry Leaves
Method
Add some oil in a kadhai, when hot season with mustard seeds and chana dal. When they splutter add the curry leaves, ginger and green chillies and fry till the flavors are released. Then add 2 cups of water and salt. When the water starts boiling add the rava into it. Stir continuously and allow it to cook till it reaches the upma consistency. Remove from fire and allow it to cool. Then make round or oval balls out of it and steam it for 10 minutes. Allow it to rest for a few minutes before you serve.

Mint Chutney
Fresh Mint leaves – 2 cups
Onion – 1 medium size cut into cubes
Red chillies – 3 – 4 to suit taste
Tamarind – a small piece
Method
In a kadhai, fry the washed mint leaves (without oil) till it becomes dry. Also fry the onion along with it. Allow to cool. Then grind all the ingredients in a blender, add water to get the consistency. You can store it for 2 – 3 days.

Beerakaya chutney (Ridge Gourd)
Beerakaya finely chopped – 1 medium size (peel the skin)
Green chillies – 2 nos finely chopped
Tamarind – a small piece
Coriander Leaves – a few sprigs
Method
In a kadhai, heat oil and season with mustard and channa dal. Then add the finely chopped beerakaya and green chillies and fry till it becomes dry. Allow to cool. Then grind all the ingredients in a blender, add water to get the consistency. Finely add the coriander leaves.

This is my entry to the "Less is More" event conducted by Nupur of "One Hot Stove".
Note: I have not considered Seasoning, Oil, Water and Salt as part of main ingredients

From another blog

Everytime I have people home for dinner, I invariably have to order the appetizers and starters from outside. Starters were always my limitations. Blog hopping inspired me to try out a few of them. This is the first of it.

My first stop was Nupur's "Receipe from One Hot Stove", Voila! I did find something which suited my palate - the "Kothimbir Wadi". I am not repeating the recipe here. All I would like to say is it was tasty and we enjoyed it a lot.