Bansi Rava Kesari

Bansi Rava is also called as Godumai Rava/ Samba Godumai/ Broken Wheat/ Dalia. It is rich in fiber and very nutritious. Kesari is usually made out of Sooji. Kesari/ Kesari bath is usually made of milk and sugar. But this Bansi Rava Kesari is made of jaggery. It is a very delicious and simple recipe. This is how I made it.

Ingredients:

Bansi Rava - 1 cup                                            

Jaggery (powdered) - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon
Cashewnuts - For Garnishing
Raisins - For Garnishing
Ghee - 4 Tablespoons
Water - As required



Method:

• In a Pan/ Kadai roast 1 cup of Bansi Rava in 1 table spoon of ghee.
• Then boil the Bansi Rava in about 2 cups of water or as required. Cook till it is completely cooked.
• In a different pan, add the Jaggery and add 1 cup of water and boil the Jaggery. 
• Once the Jaggery is boiled and dissolved completely, remove it from heat and strain out the Jaggery water.
• Mix the strained Jaggery water into the Bansi Rava, add 2 table spoons of Ghee and stir it well.
• Take a Tadka pan and add the Ghee into it. Once the Ghee is melted, add a few Cashewnuts and Raisins. 
• Then add this to the Rava Jaggery mixture and stir it well till the Ghee leaves out on the sides.
• Remove from the pan and serve it hot.Enjoy the Bansi Rava Kesari.

Green Rice

Today I am feeling very happy as I got some time to sit down and write a few recipes for my blog. I stumbled upon this recipe,Green Rice as I was selecting the recipe for today's post. It is an all time favorite at our home because it is an easy one-pot meal and very nutritious. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients

Mint Leaves - 1/2 cup

Cilantro leaves - 1/2 cup

Basil Leaves - 1/4 cup
Green Chilles - 2
Red Onion - 1 (medium sized)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp

Shelled Edmame beans - 1 cup

Green peas - 1/4 cup

Cloves - 4

Cinnamon - 1 inch stick

Black Cardamom - 2

Bay leaves - 3

Star Anise - 2

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Salt - To Taste

Method

1. Wash and soak the Basmati Rice for 20 mins and set aside.
2. Wash and grind the mint,cilantro and basil leaves along with green chillies and salt to a coarse consistency.
3. In a non - stick pan add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil is heated add the cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, bay leaves and star anise. A nice aroma will be released from the spices. 
4. Add the chopped onions and fry till translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook until the raw smell goes.
5. Now add the ground green paste and the shelled edmame beans and green peas and cook until the raw smell of the greens is gone.
6. Add the rice and cook covered for 15 to 20 mins until the rice is fully cooked. Fluff it up with a fork to ensure that the rice is cooked.
7. Serve hot as it is or with Raita..
8. Enjoy the green rice..Let me know how it turns out..

Notes

• You can use butter instead of olive oil.
• Green chilles can be more or less depending on the spice level you prefer.
• You can use both edmame beans and green peas or either of the two.

**I did not have good pics of the step wise pics. Will upload them soon the next time I make this rice.**

Homemade Lemonade Made Easy!!

Summer is here and it is getting really hot!! It is very important to keep ourselves hydrated during hot weather days. Water and juices are the common drinks people prefer for hydration. Juices are better because we get the goodness of fruits and veggies and we use the base as water. So we keep ourselves healthy and hydrated.Lemonade is one such drink.

Lemonade is a refreshing drink at any time of the day. It is the favorite drink of my DH. Homemade lemonade has its own unique taste and is heavenly to taste. I usually make a lot of concentrated lemonade and then dilute it whenever needed. You can make a lot of variations to the taste by adding fresh basil or mint leaves or any fresh herb to the lemonade and give it a variety of flavors too.

Ingredients:

Lemon/ Lime - 5-6 (About 1/2 cup of lemon juice)
Sugar - 2 cups
Water - 3 cups

Method:

• We start by making a simple syrup for the lemonade. Add the 3 cups of water in a vessel and add sugar to it. 

• Bring it to a boil until all the sugar dissolves completely in the water. Let the simple syrup cool down completely.

• Meanwhile, squeeze the juice out of the lemons and keep it aside. We should be able to get about 1 cup of lemon juice from 6 lemon.

• Once the simple syrup has cooled completely, add the lemon juice into it.

• Mix it well and bottle it. You can store this in the refrigerator for bout 2-3 weeks. 

• Take quarter cup of concentrated lemonade and dilute it with 2/3rd cup of water. Chop a few mint leaves and add it to the lemonade. Serve chilled and Enjoy!!

Avacado and Spinach Salad

Eating healthy is very important. In the present day scenario, everyone is leading a very busy and a fast life. It has become a burden for many to cook, go to work and manage home well. Salads come in handy in similar situations. Chop a couple of fresh veggies, empty a pack of store bought greens and toss it well with a few other ingredients from the pantry. Trust me, you will end up with a delicious and a wholesome dish that will satisfy your appetite.

Avacadoes are one of my favorite fruit and I live to have it as a milkshake and enjoy eating it with salads. The fruit is very buttery and smooth. The fruit can turn brown on exposure to air due to oxidation. To prevent this just coat with with lime juice and I will stay fresh. It has a lot of health benefits associated with it and considered to be very healthy (though it is high in its fat content).

Here is the recipe to a healthy and a delicious salad.

Ingredients: 
(Serves 2)
Avacado - 1 Ripe
Baby spinach - Cleaned,washed and chopped - 2 cups
Spring onions - 4 stalks
Red onion - Medium sized -1
Ripe tomatoes - medium sized - 2
Salt - To taste
Lime/Lemon juice - from 1large lime/lemon
Chat masala - 1/4th of a tsp
Ground black Pepper - 1/4th of a tsp

Method:

• In a large bowl add the chopped spinach, red onions, tomatoes and spring onions.

• Then add ground black pepper, chat masala, salt and lime juice.

• Toss the salad and serve it with avacadoes.

• Enjoy the salad.

Notes:

• You can use cherry tomatoes if you like.
• You can use spring mix, arugula or watercress instead of spinach or with spinach.
• You can prefer to add or skip chat masala.
• Use raw veggies of your choice to make the salad more interesting.

Paal Khova

Paal khova is also called as Doodh Peda in Hindi. I am from Bangalore and I am absolutely in love with Nandini Paal Khova that we get there. Since I live very far from home, occasional cravings to eat the sweet crops up in my mind and makes my mouth water. One day while talking to my cousin brother, he mentioned to me about how he tried to recreate the paal khova. After a lot of trials with measurements of the ingredients, I finally found the right way to make it. It tastes absolutely fabulous and just melts in your mouth. This is how I made it.

Ingredients:

Sweetened condensed milk - 1 can (14oz)

Milk - 2 tbsp

Yogurt - 2 tbsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl.
• Microwave it for approximately 5-7 minutes in 30 sec intervals.
• Stir it well each time a 30 sec microwave cooking is done.
• It will start to get solid and small granules of khova starts forming.
• The Paal Khova is done and ready to be served.
• A tbsp of this yummy dessert goes a long way!!
• Try this and enjoy..And yes, let me know how it was.
  
  
  
  
  

Notes:

• Different microwaves come with different powers. So use your judgement to keep it for 5 mins or more or even less.
• Always remember to NOT microwave for more than 30 sec.

Capsicum and Potato curry with curry powder

Just last week I had posted a Homemade curry powder recipe. This capsicum and potato curry is made using the same curry powder and it tastes yummilicious..It goes very well with rasam rice or mor kuzhambu which are authentic brahmin style lunch menu for the weekends or even during festivals and special occasions..

This is how I made the curry..

Ingredients:

Potato - One large sized
Capsicum - One large sized
Homemade curry powder - 3-4 tbsp
 Salt - To taste

For Tempering:

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing - A pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/4th of a tsp
Curry leaves - 7-8

 Method:

•  Peel the potatoes and dice it into one inch cubes. Dice the capsicum into same sized pieces as the potatoes.
• Boil the potatoes for about 3 minutes in the microwave.
• In a pan heat oil. Add the mustard seeds and let it pop up. Then add the hing and add the veggies (capsicum and potato).

• Then add the turmeric powder, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until the veggies are cooked.

• Now add the Homemade curry powder and mix well. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.

• Serve hot with Rasam rice or Sambar rice. Enjoy!!

 Serving Suggestions:

• You can mix this curry  with hot rice and ghee and enjoy.
• You can also stuff this in dosas. It tastes delicious.
• You can also serve this with chapathi and raita.

Notes:

• You can use veggies of your choice and be creative in trying. Some veggies that I love to use this with apart from potato and capsicum are Green beans, Taro,  eggplant,  tindora, and bittergourd.
• You can adjust the spice level to your choice. I did not add additional red chilli powder but you can add it if you want.

Homemade curry powder

I was on a cleaning spree and cleaned up my pantry and fridge. I saw that there was a loner in the fridge, a big green capsicum. I then quickly made this sabzi with homemade curry powder/ podi potta kaai which tastes yummy and delicious. You can make the powder and store it for a few days (approx.15 days) in the fridge. The method to make this delicious curry powder is very simple and is as follows.

Ingredients:

Corriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Black pepper - 10 count
Dry Red chillies - 5-6
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Chana Dal - 1 tsp
Poppy seeds / Khus Khus- 1 tsp

Sesame seeds - 1/2tbsp

Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

Cloves - 2 

Dry coconut/ Copra - 3 tbsp

Fenugreek / Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - 7-8

Method:

• Dry roast all these ingredients until a nice aroma comes out.
• Cool them and grind them to a medium coarse powder.
• Add it to vegetables like capsicum, potato, brinjal/ eggplant and serve with Rasam rice.
• Enjoy!!!

Kesari Baath

Hello all..

Happy Republic Day!!

 Welcoming fellow bloggers and all lovely readers with my first recipe post of the year. A sweet post. I made Kesari Baath, DH's favorite sweet.  It had been a while since I had prepared anything good for DH. A sudden wave of sympathy for him and Lo and Behold..Came out this yummy Kesari Baath..A very simple recipe and easy quick steps. The final product, I promise, will be a yummy, mouth melting Kesari Baath.

Ingredients:

Sooji/Semolina/Rava - 1 cup
Milk - 2 cups
Ghee/ Clarified Butter - 1and1/4th cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Cashews - 7-8
Golden Raisins - 7-8
Orange Food color - 1 drop

Method:

• In a shallow fry pan, add 2 tbsp of ghee and roast the cashews and raisins, drain out the ghee from them and set it aside.
• In the same pan and with the same ghee, add the sooji / rava and roast it till a nice aroma comes out of it and set it aside.

• Heat milk in a sauce pan and allow it to boil. Once the milk boils, gradually add the sooji and keep stirring it well ensuring no lumps form and a creamy consistency is reached.
• Also add the cup of ghee right after this step and blend all the ingredients well to make a smooth and a creamy  mixture.

• Keep stirring the mixture gently for about 5-6 minutes to avoid burning of the mixture at the bottom of the pan.
• Once the sooji is cooked, add the sugar, food color and the roasted cashews and raisins.

• Mix all the ingredients well and serve hot.
• Hot, yummy and delicious Kesari Baath is ready to melt in your mouth.

Serving Tip:

• Before serving, warm the Kesari Baath (if cold) and add a tsp or two of ghee on top and garnish with silvered almonds.

Notes:

• You can add any food color of your choice.
• You can adjust the level of sugar according to your sweetness level.
• You can also choose to NOT add food color and make it a white sheera.
• You can add small pineapple pieces or banana pieces to have a different variety of Kesari Baath (add it before adding the food color).
• The quantity of Ghee can be altered but the taste may not be as good as the one with the required quantity of ghee specified here.
• Best to serve it hot with an additional tsp of ghee.

Mixed Dal Tadka

I have been so busy plus idle for the past few weeks. I am craving for good home food prepared by Mom. But life as a wife in America is all about food cravings and missing dear ones. Left with no choice I had to prepare some yummy but simple food for myself and DH. What better dish could be comforting than making Dal and Rice. I made this yummy dinner for the both of us and trust me..It was so very relaxing!!

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - 1/4 cup
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Masoor Dal - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Medium Tomato - 1 - Chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red chillies - 3-4
Curry leaves - A few
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - A pinch
Cilantro - To garnish
Oil / Ghee - 1 tbsp
Salt - To taste

Method:

• In a vessel combine the three dals and add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.

• In a wok, heat oil/ghee. add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies and curry leaves.

• Once they crackle and splutter, add the chopped tomato and cook on medium heat until the tomatoes are cooked well.

• Add asafoetida, red chilli powder and turmeric powder to the tomato mixture.

• Mash the cooked dal and add the dal to the tomato mixture. 

• Mix it all well.Garnish it with cilantro.

• Serve hot with Rice and Roti.. Enjoy the simple and comfort food that gets ready in no time.

Sending in this entry to Serve It Series - Serve It - Pressure Cooked. This is my first entry for any activity in the blogging world. Hope to participate in many more such entries..

   

Its's all about Pressure Cooking!!

We are all familiar about how important pressure cookers are in Indian cooking. It is one of the very important things in our kitchen on which we are completely dependent. In India, the leading pressure cooker brands are Prestige and Hawkins.

This blog post is just a brief review on both the pressure cookers. Prestige pressure cookers have been one of the leading brands in South India. They are outer lid pressure cookers. Recently,they have also introduced inner lid pressure cookers. They have introduced many lines of cookers based on different materials they are manufactured from. The most used model is the prestige popular pressure cooker. A new line called prestige deluxe is equally good. Ideally stainless steel pressure cookers are the best. Hard anodized pressure cookers are in demand today due to its excellent non stick properties and minimal to no wear and tear. One more successful model of prestige pressure cookers is the handi model. It is very useful model and we can use it like the regular handi's to make main gravy dishes. All the models look very nice and are very safe to use.

For all living outside India, make sure you buy enough spare parts of the models you have at home. The important spare parts are the safety valve, weights, steam vent (whole assembly) and gaskets. Handles are also available as spare parts and are very handy to keep.

Hawkins Pressure cookers are also one of the leading brand. Many find it useful but some find that the inner lid locking is a little tricky and cumbersome. They are long lasting and have a very good safety locking mechanism. The hawkins company have quite good models like the classic model, contura and futura model. They also have hard anodized and stainless steel versions. I personally like the contura model a lot. I own one too. Futura model is classy and looks very sleek.

Pressure cooking is very energy efficient and time-saving. It is advisable to invest in a good pressure cooker of your choice. Pressure cooking with separators makes cooking faster and multiple things can be cooked simultaneously. Separator cooking is supposed to be one of the healthier ways to cook food. 


Pressure cooking is a method of cooking in a sealed vessel that does not permit air or liquids to escape below a preset pressure. Since the boiling point of water increases as the pressure rises, the pressure built up inside the vessel allows the liquid to rise to a higher temperature before boiling (wikipedia).

So this was a short write up about pressure cookers. We can have a discussion on which pressure cooker models you all use and which one did you find the best. Please do leave all your comments or you can even e-mail me at gayu.kitchen@gmail.com.


Hope to see you all again with a new blog post. Till then, bye and take care..

Dal Tadka - My simple version

Dal is THE comfort food for many people. Like others, we too enjoy a simple dinner of Rice and Dal :). It is just heavenly when you taste home cooked simple dal and rice after a busy and a tiring day at work. DH loves dal /blush and he is the most happiest person at home when the menu for the day has DAL....Its a surprise dinner for him today with his favorite food. Lets take a look at Dal Tadka - My simple version.

Ingredients:

• Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
• Tomatoes - 2 medium sized (I used grape tomatoes)
• Salt - To taste
• Water - 2 cups

For the seasoning:

• Ghee / oil - 1 tbsp (I used coconut oil)al cooks fast and gets really
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds / jeera - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - A pinch
• Curry leaves - a few
• Cilantro - Finely chopped for garnishing
• Dry Red chillies - 3-4

Method:

• Soak the Toor dal for 15 min. By doing so the dal cooks faster and gets really mushy. 

• Add salt, tomatoes and pressure cook for about 4-5 whistles.

• For the seasoning, take a tadka pan and add the ghee/ oil. I used coconut oil to get an authentic south Indian taste.

• Add the mustard seeds and allow it to pop. Then add cumin seeds, dry red chilies, asafoetida and curry leaves.

• Pour the tadka/seasoning into the cooked dal and mix well.

• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with basmati rice or phulka rotis. 

• Enjoy!!

Notes:

• You can use ghee or any kind of oil suited to your taste.
• You can choose to add tomatoes or make a plain dal without any veggies which would taste just as fine.
• You can even use moong dal or masoor dal/red lentils for this dal tadka.