Capsicum-Mushroom Rice

I have so fallen in love with mushrooms!!Oyster mushrooms are my favorite!! I have always used mushrooms to make dry curries and used it as toppings on pizzas. I just tried using it along with capsicum, peas and carrots and made a spicy rice. It tasted Awesome!! This is a very easy recipe to make and gets done in a jiffy!

Ingredients:

Mushrooms - 2 Cups (You can use any kind of mushrooms)
Capsicum - 1 medium sized - Diced
Green Peas and Carrots - 1 cup (I used frozen)
Cooked Rice - 3 cups
Butter - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - According to taste


Method:

• In a pan, melt the butter and add the cumin seeds. Once the seeds start to sizzle, add the capsicum and saute it for a few minutes.

• Once the capsicum is cooked halfway through, add the sliced mushrooms and mix well.

• Add the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.

• Mushrooms release a lot of water and get soft as they are being cooked.

• Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the frozen peas and carrots and mix all the veggies well.

• Once all the veggies are cooked, add the Garam Masala powder and mix well and turn off the flame.

• Mix the veggie masala with the cooked rice.

• Serve hot with Raita and enjoy your quick fix meal!!

Homemade Lemonade

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!!

Spinach Rice

Spinach Rice is a very easy dish to make and requires no much prior preparation. A quick fix solution for those who cannot wait for long to eat good food. I usually make this after I am back from a tired day of work. I have provided a very simple and step-by-step procedure to make the Spinach Rice

Required Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - 3 cups

Baby spinach - 2 cups

Oil/Butter - 2tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1  1/2 tsp

Red chillies - 4-5

Asafoetida - a pinch

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat a pan and add the butter (or oil). Then add the cumin seeds, red chillies and asafoetida.

• Once the cumin seeds start to crackle, add the chopped spinach to the seasoning . Add salt according to taste and mix well.

• Cook for 5-7 minutes on medium flame. The spinach will wilt and reduce in quantity.

• Spinach takes very less time to cook. Once the spinach curry is done, add the cooked rice. Mix the rice and the curry well. 

• Let the cooked rice cool for a while before adding to the spinach rice. Otherwise the rice may get lumpy and mushy.

• Hot spinach rice is ready to serve.

• Spinach rice can be enjoyed best alone. There is no side-dish required. Raita can be used as an accompaniment if needed. Enjoy your spinach rice!

Notes : 

• Usually red chillies are added while cooking greens due to the fact that people who do not want to eat chillies can easily separate red chillies from the green curry as opposed to finding Green Chillies in Greens!

Cabbage Stir-Fry

Cabbage is one such veggie that is green, leafy and very rich in fiber content. It is a very versatile vegetable. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Since it is rich in fiber content it is a very good veggie that cleanses the intestinal system of the body. I usually make stir-fry, Dal and Kootu with cabbage and it is the most liked veggie in my home. This stir-fry is very easy to make and can be eaten with Rice, Roti or can be munched upon just like that.

Ingredients:

Small cabbage - 1
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Chana Dal - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - About 1/8 th of a tsp
Green chillies - 4-5
Cilantro - A few sprigs
Salt - To taste

Method:

• Shred the cabbage into small pieces. Wash and drain and set it aside.

• In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, chana dal and urad dal.

• Once the mustard seeds splutter and the dal turns golden brown, add the green chillies.

• Now add the drained cabbage, salt and turmeric powder. Mix all the seasoning well with the cabbage.Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.

• Keep stirring once in between. Once the cabbage has turned translucent it is cooked. Let the cabbage be a little crunchy. It tastes better that way.

• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

• Enjoy the stir-fry the best with Rasam rice!!

Notes:

• You can also use red chillies instead of green chillies..It will be a contrast to the green color of the cabbage.
• You can add shredded coconut about 2-3 minutes before turning off the flame. It is a variation from the normal cabbage curry.
• Using turmeric powder is optional. You may choose to skip its use.