Tag: one pot meal

Red Amaranth and Beet Pulav:

December 3, 2017

Red amaranth is very beautiful and a natural source of energy, rich in iron and a whole lot of micro nutrients and fibre. It is very high in calcium and very good for all ages, from infants to adults.

On the other hand, beets are also packed with anti-oxidants, Folic acid and Iron. Which is considered as a super food to fight anaemia.

When my home grown red amaranth is harvested, this rice dish is what we love to eat, by adding Beetroot chunks to enhance the nutritional value. One can enjoy this one pot super tasty dish with any form of yogurt based side dish or even with plain yogurt and pickle. One can carry this in a tiffin box as well. It is a very good idea to feed greens to those who don’t like them, without they even noticing 😉

This time, when I harvested red amaranth, I thought of using fresh ground masala and it really tasted divine, oozing with flavours.

second 2

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice – 3 cups

Beet root – 1 big

Red Amaranth – 1 Small bunch

Onions – 2 (sliced)

Ghee/oil– 3 table spoons+1 tea spoon

Cumin -1 tea spoon

Bay leaves – 2 (small)

Ginger garlic paste – 1 table spoon

Milk – 1 cup

Curd -1 cup

Brown Bread – 3 slices

For Fresh masala:

Coriander – 1 tea spoon

Cumin – ½ tea spoon

Cardamom -2

Cloves- 2

Cinnamon – 1”

Black pepper – 8

Nutmeg – 1 pinch

Dried Red chillies – 2

Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp

Method:

-Wash rice and soak for 15 minutes.

-Wash Beetroot, chop into bite size pieces.

– Wash Amaranth greens, chop.

-Dry roast fenugreek seeds. When it is slightly brown, add all the other ingredients under masala and fry.

Ribbet collage 1

-Make a powder and keep it.

-Now take one pressure cooker. Add ghee or oil, fry cumin and bay leaves.

Ribbet collage 2

-Add sliced onion, fry until it is brown.

-Add ginger garlic paste, fry for 2 minutes.

-Add beetroot, chopped greens, fry until green wilts.

Ribbet collage 3

-Next add fresh ground masala powder, drained rice, salt.

-Mix everything and add milk, curd , 4 cups of water and 1 tea spoon of ghee,close the lid.

-After one whistle, keep it in a simmer for one/two minutes and switch off the gas.

Ribbet collage 4

-Now make small square size pieces of brown bread and deep fry and drain out excess oil.

-When pressure releases, add bread croutons and lightly mix everything.

second 3

– serve with any raita or plain curd and pickle.

 

 

 

Citrus medica / Dudle huli Chithranna:

September 28, 2017

Dudle huli is a big lemon and is known as Citrus medica. Citrus medica is much bigger than normal lemon with thick outer rind and less sour and sweeter than normal lemon, excellent for thin Rasam, juice, pickles or Chithranna. This Chithranna is fragrant, rich in vitamin C and very tasty. We normally serve this in any festivals or weddings. It is a no onion no garlic recipe and we use mustard, dry red chilli and coconut for flavour. This is our traditional and much-loved recipe for Chithranna.

chithranna main

Ingredients:

Rice – 3 cups

Citrus medica – 1 (big citrus fruit)

Dried red chillies – 2 to 3

Mustard – 1 tsp

Coconut – ½ cup

Jaggery – 1 to 2 tsp

Salt

Oil – 1 tsp

Seasoning:

Coconut Oil – 3 tbl sp (any refined oil is ok)

Mustard – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1 tsp

Cumin – 1 tsp

Hing – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves – 2 springs

Ground nuts – ¼ cup

Method:

-For cooking rice:

Boil water in a big vessel by putting 1 tsp of salt and oil. Add washed rice and cook for 7 to 8 minutes or until it is soft and firm and cooks. Drain cooked water and spread this rice in a colander.

– Grind masala by putting coconut, roasted red chillies, mustard, jaggery and dry run without adding any water.

-Seasoning:

-Take one thick bottomed kadai, add oil and heat. When it is hot, add mustard.

collage 1

-When it starts splutter, add urad dal and ground nut and fry until it becomes little dark. Next add cumin, hing and curry leaves.

-Now add ground masala and fry for 2 minutes. Add drained rice, juice of citrus medica and salt.

collage 2

-Mix well and switch off the gas. Check for the seasoning and adjust according to your taste.

– This is very ideal vitamin C rich option for tiffin box as well.

 

Thai Clay Pot Rice with Vegetables:

September 15, 2017

This recipe is my entry for BetterButter Contest in collaboration with SPRIG.

SPRIG is a brand that scours the world to get the finest gourmet ingredients into kitchens of people who love to experiment in their kitchen.

It was basically an introduction to SPRIG’s range of unique spice blends, to be used in our dishes covering cuisines from Europe to the Middle east to Asia.

To participate, at first there were four choices of spice blends and they made us select one spice blend from the lot and asked us to create a dish and recipe.

I chose Malacca: Oriental spice Blend.

This spice blend is a symphony of fragrant herbs and spices, inspired by the orient. It captures the rustic richness of South East Asian curries, with a twist. Flavourful chilies make for a delightful fusion, best enjoyed when sprinkled into curries, sauces, salad and stir fries. This versatile ingredient can be used as rub, marinade, glaze, paste, crumb, sprinkle or dressing!

We relish Thai food, lemon grass flavour, one pot meals. Being a Mangalorean, we love our dose of coconut milk too. So, I tried my hand in creating Thai flavoured rice, using clay pot. The dish turned into a super tasty, mildly flavoured one pot meal.

pic main 2

 

Ingredients:

Rice – 2 cups (small grain rice/ Jeera samba variety)

Vegetables – 1 bowl

Tofu – 100 grams

Onion – 1 medium

Ginger – ½ inch

Thai chillies – 3

Lemon grass – 4 sticks

SPRIG MALACCA spice blend – 2 table spoons

Thick Coconut milk – I tetra pack or 200 ML

Water – 3 ½ cups

Salt – as required

Oil – 2 table spoons (any refined oil)

Sesame oil – 1 table spoon.

Clay pot – for cooking

Method:

– Wash rice and drain the water and keep aside.

– Chop vegetables according to your choice.

pic 1

– I have used Broccoli, cabbage, three colours of capsicum and baby corn.

– Chop onion, slice chillies, sliver ginger and keep aside.

– Make 3-inch pieces of lemon grass, make a bunch and tie it with a small piece of cord.

-Take a clay pot and smear it with Sesame oil.

– Sesame oil will act as a non-sticky coat for clay utensil while cooking for long.

collage 1

-Now take oil for seasoning. When it is hot, add onion, chillies, ginger, lemon grass and fry until onion is glossy.

-Add all the vegetables and fry for a while.

-Now add tofu, Malacca spice, salt and mix everything thoroughly.

collage 2

– Next proceed with addition of drained rice and fry for 2 minutes.

-Add coconut milk, water.

collage 3

-Cook the mixture by closing the lid, in a very low flame for 20 to 30 minutes or until done by mixing twice in between.

-Serve hot by discarding lemon grass sticks. (Used to enhance flavour, since they can’t be swallowed)

pic main 1

NOTE:

  • If Thai chillies are not available, one can use any variety of chilli.
  • I have used bird eye chilli.
  • If sesame oil is not there, one can use refined oil to smear the clay pot.

Soba Noodles with Vegetables in Honey based sauce:

August 19, 2017

Once again testing period for me. Yes!! I was keeping and not at all interested to cook these dull Soba noodles. My sister gave me this pack of soba noodles “to experiment” when I visited her this summer. Last week, she had asked about Soba and told me, she is waiting for the foolproof recipe. I had no option but to cook. I was hesitant at the beginning, by thinking about my ever-choosy daughter’s palate.

On the eve of Independence Day, I was thinking about something special for our menu. So, I thought of cooking this special noodle for the first time and made my own mixture by using Honey as a base.

pic main

Honey did help to uplift the taste of soba noodles, which is otherwise very bland in taste.

First, we will see, what are Soba noodles. Soba noodles are Japanese noodles that are made from buckwheat flour. Buckwheat flour is greyish in colour so the noodles have that dull grey colour and it is gluten-free as well. Due to this, noodle is very brittle in nature.

As 100% buckwheat, gluten-free noodle tends to break, people do add some wheat flour when preparing their noodles. What I had was 100 % with buckwheat flour and needed extra caution while boiling and cooling.

Ingredients:

Soba noodles – 3 serving bundles

Vegetables – 1 bowl of your choice

white sesame seeds – 1 tablespoon

Corn flour – 1 tablespoon

Water – 3 tablespoons

Salt

Oil – 2 tablespoons

Sauce Mixture:

Sriracha sauce – 2 tablespoons

Rice/ plain vinegar – 2 tablespoons

Light soy sauce – 2 tablespoons

Honey – 5 to 6 tablespoons

Garlic – 1 ½ tablespoons (sliced)

Ginger – 2 teaspoons (grated)

Red chilli flakes – ½ teaspoon

Method:

– Make sauce mixture by Combining Sriracha, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, red chilli flakes, garlic and ginger in one bowl and keep aside to release its flavour.

pic 4

–  Mix cornflour and water and keep aside.

–   Dry roast sesame seeds and reserve this for garnishing.

–  Boil water with one spoon of salt and oil. Put noodle, cook until al dente (it should cook and texture should be firm)

collage 1

–  Drain the water, rinse the noodle in cold tap water.

–  Collect one small cup of the drained water and keep it aside for next use.

–   Chop vegetables according to your taste. Here I have used broccoli, beans, carrot, baby corn and zucchini.

–   Take one wide Kadai, add oil. When it is hot, add chopped veggies and a little salt and fry for a while.

collage 2

–  Add all the sauce mixture, cornflour mixed water and fry vigorously to avoid this to burn.

–  If the mixture becomes very thick, add a little reserved cooked and drained water of noodles. Check for the salt. If needed add and adjust.

–  When it starts boiling, add noodles and mix.

collage 3

– Garnish with dry roasted sesame seeds and serve.

 

Paneer Tikka Biryani:

June 10, 2017

I wanted to try Paneer Tikka Biryani at home from so long. Both my daughters love the Paneer tikka biriyani from Konark Restaurant, Commercial Street.  I tried my own method and it turned out to be a hit with my folks and I want to share it with my readers as well.

Let us see how I proceeded –

First thing I did was Marination of paneer. I always prefer 2 hrs or more Marination in the fridge.

Ingredients:

For Marination:

plain curd – 2 to 3 cups (250 grams)

Ginger garlic paste – 1 to 1 ½ table spoon

salt

Red chilli powder – 1 to 1 ½ tsp

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 table spoons

Cumin powder – 1 table spoon

Garam masala powder – 1 ½ tsp

Paneer – 200 grams

Capsicum – 3 ( Red, yellow and green) 

Onion – 2 (medium)

For Biryani:

Basmati rice – 3 cups

Onion – 1 

Tomato – 2

Ghee – 2 table spoons

Bay leaf – 2

Cardamom – 2

Cinnamon – 1 inch piece

Star anise – 2

Shahi jeera – 1 tsp

Green chilli -2

Chopped Pudina – half cup

Chopped Coriander leaves – half cup

Any Biryani Masala – 1 table spoon

Coconut milk – 1 cup or 1 pack of coconut milk powder.

Method:

For Paneer and veggie Tikka:

-Take one  bowl , put curd and all the masalas, salt etc and prepare for marination .

-Chop Capsicum ,onion and paneer into cubes and Drop in . Mix thoroughly and store this in a fridge to marinate at least for 2 hours.

-Take one non stick tawa, place marinated onion, capsicum and paneer chunks and roast both the sides and keep it ready. You can opt an oven or grill as well.

-Retain marinated masala ( with curd) for further use.

Now we would see the Biryani Preperation:

-Wash and Soak rice for 10 minutes, drain.

-Puree 2 tomatoes , by cooking in a little water , cool and grind.

-Slice onion , slit green chillies.Chop pudina and coriander leaves.

-Take one tawa/ rice cooker or pressure cooker. I normally prepare  in tawa and pour it into rice cooker for final cooking.

-Put ghee, add whole masalas ( cinnamon, cardamom, shahi jeera, star anise and bay leaves.

-Add onion, green chilli and fry for a while, then tomato puree, left over marinated masala  and fry until it leaves oil at sides.

-Now, add pudina and coriander, biryani masala and fry for 2 minutes.

-Next add coconut milk powder, water (4 cups) , adjust salt, add drained rice , tawa roasted veggies, paneer tikka and cook in a simmer or pour into rice cooker and cook further.

-When it is ready, serve with your choice of raita.

Note: Adjust water accordingly , by calculating marinated curd, tomato puree, if you are adding coconut milk, include that as well.

-Normally, how i take is: if i am using Basmati rice : for 1 cup of rice: 2 cups of water + 1 cups extra for veggies to cook. ( Here: 3 cups of Rice: 6 cups of water + 1 cup for veggies)