Beetroot Rice

Beetroot is rich in iron and can be taken in various forms. Here I am sharing a Variety Rice using beetroot.

Ingridients :-

1. Beetroot grated - 1 cup
2. cooked Rice - 1cup
3. small Onion - 7 nos.
4. Green chillies - 2 nos
5. Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
6. Oil - 1 tbsp
7. Mustard - 1/4 tsp
8. salt to taste
9. Turmeric Powder - less than 1/4 tsp

Procedure :

• Wash, clean and grate beetroot.
• Peel and wash small onions. Crush them or grind in a mixer coarsely.
• Finely chop green chillies, coriander leaves
• Heat oil in a wok, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add crushed small onions, green chillies and saute for 1 minute
• Add grated beetroot, turmeric powder and salt and cook till it is done.
• Remove from flame and add cooked rice and finely chopped coriander leaves, mix well.
• Yummy and colourful healthy beetroot rice is ready

Linking this post to Show me your Hits event hosted by Anusha of Tomato Blues for Sangee @ Spicy Treats

Rasam (using dhal) - a yummy toungue tickler

You can check here to know how to prepare Rasam Powder.

Rasam can be prepared in various methods with varied measure of main ingridients like toor dhal, jeera and pepper. 

If you are using tomato in rasam making, accordingly you can reduce the tamarind use to get the right tangy taste.

To make this yummy toungue tickler, you need

Ingridients :-

1. Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
2. Tomato - 1 medium
3. Rasam Powder - 2 tbsp
4. Toor Dhal - 1/4 tea cup
5. Haldi Powder - less than 1/4 tsp
6. Hing powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Jaggery - 1 small piece (to enhance the taste and flavour)
8. Salt to taste

Tempering :

1. Ghee - 1 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
3. Jeera (optional) - a pinch

Garnishing :

1. Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
2. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

 Procedure :

• Pressure cook toor dal till it becomes mushy and keep aside
• Finely chop tomato & coriander leaves
• Boil tamarind and extract tamarind water using 4 and 1/2  tea cups of water (rasam should look watery like a clear soup)
• In a wok, heat ghee, add mustard seeds and cumin (jeera) after they splutter, add the chopped tomatoes & little salt and saute till it becomes mushy
• Add tamarind water, turmeric powder (haldi) and Hing powder, Jaggery, Salt , rasam powder and  bring it to boil
• Reduce the flame and boil it for 3 minutes
• Now Add mashed dal to it and stir well
• When the rasam starts boiling, foam will form on top that is the stage you should remove it from flame (as boiling well after adding dhal will spoil the taste of the yummy rasam)
• Add chopped coriander leaves and whole curry leaves to garnish the rasam
• Your yummy rasam is ready to be relished along with white rice

To steaming white rice, add few drops of ghee, mix and mash the rice with your hand and add generously few laddles of rasam and enjoy your mouth watering delicious rasam rice / Rasam Chaadham.

Points to be noted.

1. Don't boil the rasam well after adding dhal as it will spoil the taste
2. Instead of tamarind you can use kokam too. just drop 3 to 4 pieces of kokam
3. If you don't have rasam powder handy, you can add coriander powder, red chilli powder and little sambar powder too and make another type of yummy rasam (ingridients varied measure and added in varied forms accordingly give you difference in taste)

New Winged visitor to my place today

Today I had a strange pair of visitors at my window. They sounded like sparrow but looked very different. First time I am seeing these beauties!

They were so kind and posed for a few shots.  I have seen them swiftly flying together happily and actively around with a grace.

If you know the name of this bird, please share it. I am also googling for it.

Rasam Powder

Rasam - an easy to make and tasty dish which goes well with rice.  It is prepared in different ways and thus gives different taste. You can make with dal and without dal rasams. Flavour it by adding lemon juice / pineapple juice / mint or by reducing and increasing the other spice ingridients like cumin / pepper / Garlic. 

Can be prepared with or without tamarind. In case of without tamarind you can use either kokam or tomato pulp.

In ancient days (this practice is still followed in many of the south indian homes) a meal starts with dal, sambar, rasam and end with curd rice. 

For children less than 2 years, Rasam with mashed Rice (Chaadham) with little ghee added  is an excellent food as sambar or other gravies will not suit their stomach. I remember the yummy rasam chaadham which my mother used to feed me adding ghee is still my favourite. There were days when i survived solely on rasam chadham.

While having cold or flu or sore throat, pepper & jeera rasam along with rice and roasted papad is the best food which gives you relief as well as easy to digest. You can even drink them like a soup.

In every household the method of making of rasam & measure of ingridients are difference hence the rasam taste yummy and different.

Thus rasam plays an important role in south indian menu.

Ingridients :-

1. Toor Dal - 1/2 tea cup
2. Channa dal - 1 tbsp
3. Jeera - 1 tbsp
4. Pepper - 1 tbsp
5. Red Chillies - 5 -6 nos (or as per your preference)
6. Methi Seeds - 1 tsp
7. Coriander Seeds - 2 tbsp

Dry roast the ingridients separately. let them cool and grind it together in a mixer to a fine powder. store it in an air tight container.

Keeping this powder ready will make the rasam making process even more easier.

When sabudana (Sago) for making kichadi looks oversoaked or too soft

For making kichadi, sabudana (sago/javvarisi) is soaked in water. If you find it over soaked, then drain it & spread on a clean kitchen towel for sometime. The kitchen towel will absorb excess water.

When medu vada batter becomes little watery

If medhu vada / urad dal vada batter becomes little watery you will not be able to take and shape it using your fingers.

Add little rava (sooji), mix and keep it aside for 10 minutes. This will help you to get the batter in the right consistency to make nicely shaped vadas.

The other option is to powder Rice flake (Poha / Avil) in a mixer and add it to the batter. This not only gets you the consistency but also make the vada crisp.

Masala Dosai / Masala Dosa / மசாலா தோசை

It is a filling item compared to Ordinary dosa. Mashed potato cooked in spices is spread on the dosa and the aroma will make one drool and the taste linger in the mouth. Taste best when served hot along with crispy dosa.

Ingridients(serves 4-5 dosas)

1. Potato (medium) - 4 nos
2. Onion (medium) - 1no.
3. Ginger  finely chopped - 1 tbsp
4. Green chilli finely chopped - 1 tbsp
5. curry leaves - 1 sprig
6. coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
7. Hing powder - 1 pinch
8. Turmeric Powder - less than 1/4 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. water
11. Oil, mustard seeds for seasoning
12. Dosa batter (prepare the batter previous day as given in the link & let it ferment)

Procedure :

• Boil and mash potatoes
• Heat little oil in a wok, add hing powder,  mustard seeds.
• After the seeds splutter add chopped ginger, green chilli and curry leaves, saute for 30 seconds
• Add Chopped Onion and saute till it becomes translucent

• Add mashed potato, salt, turmeric powder and little water.
• Cover and cook till water evaporates and the aroma of spices blend with the potatoes.
• Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves over it and mix.
• Masala is ready

• Now heat the dosa tawa, grease it with oil, pour a laddle of dosa batter, spread it in round shape, pour little oil around the dosa.
• When the edges turn golden colour & the top portion is also cooked, spread little masala on one half of the dosa 

• fold the other half over it and serve hot.

Paper Holder

The news paper boy always used to throw the paper at our door steps. As I am busy in the morning hours inside kitchen, i never find time to wait and look for the paperwala to come. My old FIL finding it difficult to bend and take the paper waits for me to pick it up for him. 

Yesterday I was emptying a packet of washing powder into the storage container and suddenly  was strcuk by an idea. After finishing my morning chores, quickly I sat with the materials in front of me to make a ......"Paper Holder"!!!.

To make it, you will need :-

1. Empty Carton Box
2. Handmade paper
3. Craft Glue
4. Cellotape
5. Glitter Glue
6. Thick rope
7. Punching machine
8. Scissors

Procedure :

To make it strong, put cello tape and secure the bottom of the box from inside as well as outside. Similarly stick cello tape to the side where you see the stuck portion. The top covering portion also to be stuck erect using cellotape, as you see in the picture.

Place the carton box over the wrong side of the handmade paper and draw the outline for the sides you want to cover and cut it.

Apply glue over the sides and stick the cut portions of hand made paper

After it dries, decorate the box with glitter glue. Make hole on top portion. Take the rope, tie a big knot on one end. Insert the other end through one of the hole from outside to inside. Pull it out through the other hole and put a knot on that end. I cut the "times of india" from the paper and stuck it in the front side.

Your paper holder is ready to be hung!!!

I fixed a small hook near the door to hang the box. Today I waited for the paperwala to come and instructed him to fold paper and put it into the box. Now my FIL need not depend on us for his morning paper, as he can now pick it up from the box.

Baby musquito came back after its 1st time flying!!

His dad asked him, "how do you feel?"

Baby musquito  replied "It was lovely, all were clapping for me"

LIFE is how you look at it.

Lotus design

I prefer lotus based designs to draw on sundays.

Masala Papad - The Healthy Snack / Starter

Evening i was hunting my kitchen for a snack. I normally don't buy and store as wanted to avoid that extra eating. But today was unable to control my craving hence after some quick thought made a healthy snack for myself.

You need :

1. Lijjat Papad
2. Red chilli powder
3. Chat masala powder (optional)
4. Salt to taste
5. Tomato - 1 small
6. Onion - 1 small
7. Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

• Roast the lijjat papad either on direct flame or on a non-stick pan.
• Place it on the serving plate

• Finely chop tomato, onion and coriander leaves

• Sprinkle red chillipowder, chat masala powder and salt to taste on the roasted papad
• Sprinkle the chopped onion, tomato and coriander leaves.
• Your yummy healthy snack is ready!!

Variation :

You can use fried papad instead of roasted papad

The best answer

Someone asked God : If everything is already written in destiny, then why should we wish?

God smiled and said :May be I had written "As you Wish"

Ghandiji fan

I am collecting Ghandhiji's images. Please help me by moneyordering Rs.100/-, Rs.500/- and Rs.1000/- notes
sd/-
Ghandhiji Fan

Crocheted Sofa Head Rest

Bear Hugs!! ;-)

While shopping, i came across these bunch of teddies displayed. The way they were arranged looked funny, so captured in my camera. Though they were toys, they had some life in their eyes and expression. Waiting to give a bear hug!....

They were squeezing each other to come to the front, some peeping from behind eagerly to come to the front, some disappointed for not having picked up and some dozing, some smiling, some giving a naughty look......

Idli Milagaipodi / Idli Chutney Powder / இட்லி மிளகாய் பொடி

A South Indian chutney powder also known as gun powder, goes well with tiffin items like Dosai, Idli and Upmaa when you don't have time to make chutney or sambhar.

Ingridients : 

1. Whole White Urad - 1 tea cup (black gram)
2. Channa Dal - 1/2 tea cup (bengal gram)
3. Black Til - little less than 1/4 tea cup
4. Red Chillies - 16 - 20 Nos. or as per preference
5. Hing powder - 1 tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Gingelly Oil - 2 tsp

Procedure :

• Heat a Pan / Kadai and add gingelly oil to it
• Add Urad and fry till it turns into golden brown & transfer it to a plate
• Now in the same pan / kadai, add channa dal & roast till it becomes crispy and changes colour slightly, transfer it to the plate containing urad.
• Roast black til till it pops & add it to the fried dals
• Roast red chilli add it to the dals and let it cool.
• In a mixie jar add the fried items & grind it for 30 seconds.
• Add salt and hing and powder them. (A coarse texture will give it a crispiness while chewing)

Variation :-

You can alter the quantity of black gram (urad) and Channa dal (bengal gram)  which gives different flavour & taste to this preparation. I alter them to bring change in taste.

Suggestions :-

• Instead of chutney or sambhar, you can have them with this power mixed in little oil into a pasty texture. Can be consumed without mixing oil too.
• Oil used for deep frying, when reaches the smoking point once, is not good to use it again for frying purposes. That oil can be used for mixing it with the chutney powder and makes the molagaipodi even more tastier.