Yogurt Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 2 cups

Green chilies - 3-4 chopped or red dry chilies - 2-3 break into small pieces.

Curry leaves - 1 branch (about 10-15 leaves)

Cilantro - 1 handful leaves chopped finely

fresh grated coconut (optional)

Plain yogurt - 1 cup

Warm milk - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Ghee Tempering - ( ghee, cumin seeds and hing powder - 1/4 tsp)

Recipe:

Take cooked rice in a bowl and separate rice grains with a fork or use your fingers.

Add yogurt and warm milk, sugar and salt to taste.

Prepare Ghee Tempering.  Let cumin seeds cook until lightly brown.  Add hing powder.

Add chilies, curry leaves and stir well and add to rice mixture while still very hot.  Mix well.

You don't cook this rice again. 

Add chopped cilantro leaves and serve.   

Notes:

  

1) When you cannot eat green chilies, add dried red chilies into oil tempering.  You can see them and remove them before serving.

2) I usually use left-over rice for this recipe.  

3) You can also add 1 tsp chana dal and 1 tsp urad dal (wash and soaked in water for at least 10 minutes, then remove water and add to oil tempering before chilies.  Cook until lightly brown).

4) You can use oil instead of ghee and follow the recipe for ghee tempering.

5) We usually eat this rice at the end of the meal, especially when we eat very hot and spicy food.

6) We also eat yogurt rice at supper or dinner because it helps you sleep better. (Now researchers say that milk contains the amino acid L-tryptophan, which turns to 5-HTP and releases relaxing serotonin. It's also high in calcium, which promotes sleep).  

Simple Fried Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 2 cups

Onions - 2 medium or 1 large - cut thinly lengthwise

Green chilies - 3-4 chopped or red dry chilies - 2-3 break into small pieces.

Curry leaves - 1 branch (about 10-15 leaves)

Cilantro - 1 handful leaves chopped finely

fresh grated coconut (optional)

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon or about 2 Tb

Peanut oil - 4-5 Tb  , black mustard seeds, hing powder, turmeric for  Oil Tempering. 

Recipe:

Separate rice grains with a fork or use your fingers.

Prepare Oil Tempering. 

Add chilies, curry leaves and stir well.  

Add onions and cook them till lightly brown.   

Add rice and mix well with onions.   Add salt to taste.  Add sugar. Add half the cilantro leaves.  Mix well and cover and let it steam for 2-3 minutes.  Remove lid.  Add lemon juice and mix well.  Serve immediately with fresh coconut and cilantro.

Notes:

1) I sometimes add 1 chopped tomato to cooked onions and stir well and then add rice.

2) You can add eggplant instead of onions and follow recipe. Cut eggplant into cubes and soak them in water. Add 1/2 tsp salt and let it sit for a few minutes. Remove water and then cook in oil tempering. Don't forget hing powder (1/8th tsp) as it acts as anti gas.
3) When you cannot eat green chilies, add dried red chilies into oil tempering. You can see them and remove them before serving.
4) You can add 1/2 cup green peas to cooked onions.
5) You can add 1/4 cup raw peanuts before adding onions and cook them with onions. They will add nice crunch to the rice.
6) You can add broccoli (cut into small florets and steamed in microwave for 4 minutes) instead of onions. This is one of my favorite rice dish.
7) I like to add fresh or dry grated coconut to such recipes as coconut adds lot of fibers and it also helps improve memory.
8) I usually add lemon juice after I turn the heat off as lemon juice does not taste very well after getting cooked.  It can makes things bitter to taste.
9) I usually use left over rice for this recipe.
10) You can also add 1 tsp chana dal and 1 tsp urad dal (wash and soaked in water for at least 10 minutes, then remove water and add to oil tempering before chilies. Cook until lightly brown).

Each variation will give a bit different taste to the rice.

Thick Poha

Ingredients:

Thick poha - 1 cup
Potatoes - 2 medium cut into 4 quarters and then thinly sliced each piece (1/4" thickness) and soak them in water.
Onions - 2 medium or 1 large - cut finely
Green chilies - 3-4 finely chopped
Curry leaves - 2 branches (about 15-20 leaves)
Cilantro - 2 handful leaves chopped finely
fresh or dry coconut - 3-4 Tb
Salt to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon or about 2 Tb
Peanut oil (1/4 cup), black mustard seeds, hing powder, turmeric for Oil Tempering

Recipe:

Clean poha (remove rice hull and stones if any).
Sieve poha through colander (it will remove all the fine powder and very small pieces of poha).
Wash poha in the same colander 2-3 times and keep it for 10 min. Make sure that poha is well soaked but not soggy.  Separate grains by fingers.
Prepare Oil Tempering. You will need more oil than usual as poha and potatoes will absorb oil.
Add chilies, curry leaves and stir well.  Add onions and cook them till lightly brown.  Remove potatoes  from water and add to onions.  Stir well.  Add salt and sugar and cover with a lid.  Let potatoes cook on the steam for 4-5 minutes.  When potatoes are cooked add poha and mix well with onions and potatoes.   Add salt to taste.  Add half the cilantro leaves.  Mix well and cover and let it steam for 2-3 minutes.  Remove lid.  Add lemon juice and mix well.  Serve immediately with fresh coconut and cilantro.

Notes:

1) You can make poha with only onions or only potatoes as well.
2) Add 1/2 cup green peas after potatoes are cooked.
3) Add handful of raw peanuts before adding veggies. Peanuts will get cooked with veggies.
4) Use egg plant instead of onions and potatoes.  Cut egg plant into small cubes and soak them in water and add 1/2 tsp salt.  Egg plant will give out black sap in water.  Remove egg plant from water and add it to oil tempering and cook until tender and then add poha and follow recipe.
5) Serve poha with mango or green chili pickle.  
6) Poha is made from rice when it is still in it's hull.  It is soaked in water and then pounded with wooden pestle to make it flat.  Hull is removed and pounded rice is dried and stored.
7) I store poha in refrigerator.

Cabbage Bhaaji 1

Ingredients:

Cabbage - cut thin slivers 1"-2" long - about 2 cups
green chilies - 2-3 cut into thin slices
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
for oil tempering - peanut oil, black mustard seeds, turmeric, hing powder
chopped cilantro leaves - 2-3 tsps
freshly grated coconut - 3-4 Tb
gud or brown sugar - 1 Tb
salt to taste.

Recipe:

Heat pan and add 2 tsp peanut oil.  Prepare oil tempering (add cumin seeds with mustard seeds) and add green chilies.  Add cut cabbage and 1/4 cup water.  Add salt, cumin powder, gud and stir well. Cover for 5 minutes and let it steam.  Remove cover and check if the cabbage is cooked well.  Add water if necessary and cook more.  It should not be mushy and all the water should be gone.
Sprinkle with cilantro and coconut.
Serve as a side dish with Indian bread, or rice

Notes:

1) Cabbage should be cooked to get all the nutrients from it.
2) You can get rid of pungent smell of cabbage by using gud and cumin seeds.

ChivaDa with Thin Poha.

Ingredients:

Thin poha - 4 cups
raw peanuts - 1/4 cup
dry coconut slices - 1/4 cup
split roasted chana dal - 1/4 cup
cashews - handful (optional)
yellow raisins - handful (optional)
curry leaves - 3 branches (25-30 leaves)
green chili peppers - 4-5 sliced finely
coriander powder - 2 Tb
cumin powder - 1 Tb
hing powder - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1 Tb or as needed
chili powder - 1 Tb
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 Tb
citric acid - 1/8 tsp
peanut oil - 1/4 cup for oil tempering

Recipe:

Clean poha using sieve to remove powder/ crushed poha.
Microwave poha for 1 minute and stir well.  Repeat the procedure for 2- 3 minutes until poha become crisp.
Heat oil in a pan and deep fry raw peanuts, coconut, cashews, roasted chana dal, cashews and raisins one by one on low heat.
Prepare oil tempering with mustard seeds, green chilies, curry leaves and hing powder.  Remove from the heat and add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt, and sugar.
Add poha and mix well.  Add more salt as needed.  Add citric acid and mix well.
Let it cool off and then store in a tight sealed container (glass or plastic).
Serve it as a light snack or serve it in a bowl to eat like nuts with drinks.

Notes: 

1) You can make this chivada with rice crispies, corn flakes, puffed rice (you don't need to clean it or roast it in microwave to crisp it).
2) You can deep fry thick poha.  Take it out on paper towels to absorb excess oil and follow the same recipe.
3) Chivada can keep for 2 weeks. You can refrigerate it to keep it longer.
4) Serve it with chopped raw onions (2 tsps) and tomatoes (2 tsps), chopped fresh cilantro leaves (1 tsp), freshly grated coconut (1 tsp).
5) mix it with puffed rice for bhel (another snack).
6) poha is made from rice when it is still in it's hull.  It is soaked in water and then pounded with wooden pestle to make it flat.  Hull is removed and pounded rice is dried and stored.

Turnip Bhaaji

Ingredients:

Turnip roots - washed, peeled and cut into 1"x 1/2" cubes - about 1 cup
Turnip leaves - washed and chopped into smaller pieces - about 2 cups
Red dried chilies - 4-5 broken into 1" pieces
Hing/ Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp
salt to taste
pinch of sugar

For oil tempering - peanut oil, black mustard seeds, hing powder (or cut garlic), turmeric powder.

Recipe:

Prepare oil tempering with peanut oil and add dried chilies.  Add turnip roots and stir well.  Add salt and sugar.  Add 4-5 Tb water and cover and let it cook on steam for 4-5 minutes.  Add chopped turnip leaves (if turnip leaves are too tough, substitute them with collard greens or spinach leaves) and keep stirring until cooked.
Serve with any Indian bread like chapati, paratha, puri

Notes:

1) After greens are cooked, sprinkle 2-3 Tb of besan flour.  Stir well until besan is cooked - about 2-3 minutes.
2) Add 4-5 big cloves of garlic cut lengthwise instead of hing powder.  Cook until lightly brown and then add chilies and follow recipe.
I don't use hing powder and garlic in the same recipe as both are very strong pungent flavors. I feel 
that spices should enhance the flavor of the vegetable and not cover /kill it. 
3) You can also add 1 med. onion cut lengthwise after you add garlic.  Cook onion till it is lightly brown and then follow the recipe.
4) Use green chilies instead of dry red chilies.
5) You can coarse grate roots instead of cutting them into cubes (they cook faster).

Mataki UsaL

Ingredients:

Mataki (Moth) - 1 cup - let it sprout
Curry leaves - 10-12 or one branch
Black masala - 1/2 tsp
Gud or brown sugar - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Fresh coconut - 3-4 Tb
Fresh cilantro/coriander leaves - a handful
Salt - to taste

Recipe:

Remove unsoaked mataki grains and add sprouted mataki in a pressure cooker pan.

Add enough water to cover mataki and cook mataki in pressure cooker.  

Prepare basic oil tempering.

Add 1/8 tsp hing powder and curry leaves. 

Add cooked mataki in it and add 1/2 cup water.

Add chili powder, black masala and salt.  Stir well.

Add gud at the end and cook for 2-3 min.  Turn the stove off.

Add fresh coconut and fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve as a side dish.

Notes:

1) Remove stones and impurities from mataki and wash it.

2) Tie it in a cloth and keep it in a dark place so that it would sprout.

3) Check every day.  If mataki is old it will not sprout and may get sticky due to fermentation. Don't use it as it will have bad smell.

4) If you add gud early, sometimes beans (here mataki) become tough so add gud only at the end of cooking.

5) Add more masala, coconut or cilantro if you wish.  When you don't measure all the ingredients exactly as the recipe...every time it will taste different...I really like it that way!

6) You can use this recipe for other beans like chana (Harbhara), dry peas, Moong, black eyed beans, lentils or mixture of all or some of these beans. 
7) Glossary of Pulses & Lentils - Indian Names
http://www.syvum.com/recipes/indian/glossp1.html

Shahi Garam Masala (Garam Masala by Sailana Maharaj)

Ingredients: 

Shahajeera (black cumin seeds) - 6 grams

Cloves - 6 grams

Cinnamon - 6 grams

Peppercorn - 6 grams

Bay leaf - 6 grams
Ilaichi - 6 grams
Badi Ilaichi - 6 grams

Mace (Jaypatri) - 3 grams
SunTh (ginger powder) - 3 grams
1 whole nutmeg - make powder
Saffron - 1 gram

Recipe:

Warm above spices on a nonstick pan so that they become crisp and you can grind them in a mixer/blender and store the masala in a tight lid glass jar. 

Notes:

1) Be careful while roasting cloves and peppercorns as they can splatter and jump from the pan and
cause burns.
2) Store all your spices and masalas in tight lid glass jars in a freezer. This way they don't go rancid and last a very long time.
3) I have 2 masala containers (spice boxes) in my kitchen close to my stove. I just take out a little bit of all the spices in these containers and save the rest in the freezer.
4) This masala is very strong so use it only 1/4 tsp per dish (for 4 people).

Black Masala or Goda Masala

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds -  500 grams
Cumin seeds - 125 grams
Sesame seeds - 100 grams
Red chili peppers - 100 grams
Dry coconut - 100 grams
Dagad phool or Kallupachi (Black Stone Flower) - 25 gms
Nagakeshar - 20 grams

Shahajeera (black cumin seeds) - 10 grams

Cloves - 10 to 20 grams  (use 10 for milder flavor)

Cinnamon - 10 to 20 grams (use 10 for milder flavor)

Peppercorn - 10 grams

Turmeric - 1 Tb

Bay leaf - 50 grams

Hing (asafoetida) - 2 tsps

Salt - 1 Tb

Peanut oil to shallow fry

Recipe:

Add a little oil (2-3 tsps) in a nonstick pan. 

Fry ingredients with following order.

Start with Hing powder /asafoetida.  Stir well in oil

Add Turmeric powder. Stir well in oil

Add dry coconut and cook on a very low heat until golden and remove it to a bowl.

Add little oil each time for the rest of the ingredients and roast them one by one.
Once roasted transfer them to the bowl.

Be careful when you roast cloves and black peppercorn ( they can pop and burn you)

Once all the ingredients are roasted, mix them well and grind them in a blender/mixer and store the masala in a tight lid glass jar.  Store it in a freezer so that it won't go rancid and will last for months.
Just take out enough every time that will last for a month in your spice box.

Notes: 

1) Every family has their own masala recipe in India. This recipe is my family recipe.  It came from 
my mom's mom, my maternal grandmother (Mrs. Pramodini Joshi) to my mom (Mrs. Sheela Datar) and now to me.  

2) Dagad phool - make sure it is free of soil /stones. 

3) Nagakeshar - It looks lot like cloves.



4) Glossary of Spices & Condiments - Indian Names
http://www.syvum.com/recipes/indian/glosss1.html

5) What is asafoetida?   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asafoetida

Cauliflower Bhaji/ Rassaa with coconut 1

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - cut into 1" pieces (try to keep flowers intact) - about 2 cups
Potatoes - 1 medium - peal and cut into cubes - about 1/2 cup
Tomatoes - 2 small or 1 medium - cut into 1" pieces
Curry leaves - 1 branch or 10-12 leaves
Brown Sugar or Gud - 1/2 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp or to taste.
Salt to taste.

Masala ( Ground Spices):

Fresh coconut - grated - 1/4 cup
Fresh ginger root - peal and grate - about 1 Tb
Coriander powder - 2 Tb
Add 1/2 cup water to grind it into fine paste.

Recipe:

Prepare oil tempering (see recipe).

Add curry leaves. 

Add potatoes.  Saute it for 3-4 minutes and then add cauliflower. Stir well.

Add tomatoes.  Stir well.

Add 1 cup water and cover the pot with a lid.

Let the veggies cook for about 5 minutes or until desired tenderness.

Add ground masala, salt and chili powder.

Cook it for 2-3 minutes without the lid.

Notes: 

1)If you are going to serve it with rice, add more water to have more gravy (called as Rassaa)
2) If serving with chapatis, add less water and let most of the water evaporate while cooking. When you use fingers to eat chapati, you should be able to pick up veggies with a bite size piece of chapati. 

3) When you are making gravy using fresh or dry coconut or peanuts, add the masala at the end of 
recipe.  Stir well so they won't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Remember,  masala should get cooked too but don't stir it so much that veggies will get mushy. 

4) I don't eat curry leaves as they are tough.  
5) Glossary of Vegetables - Indian Names
http://www.syvum.com/recipes/indian/glossv1.html

Onion-Garlic Masala

Ingredients:

Dry onion - 1/2 cup shallow fried in oil until lightly brown

Garlic - 5-6 large cloves - shallow fry in oil until lightly brown

Peanuts - dry roast raw peanuts in shallow pan - about 1/2 cup

Cumin powder - 1 Tb

Coriander powder - 1 Tb

Chili powder - 3-4 tsp (or to taste)

Citric acid - a pinch

Recipe: 

Grind all the ingredients together and store in a glass jar.

Refrigerate (anything that has oil in it can go rancid).

Notes: 

1) You can use this masala with many dishes that has beans or dals (split beans).

2) You can use this masala with vegetable preparations that don't have curry (soupy consistency) or prepared dry like potatoes, bell peppers etc.

Chili Garlic Oil

Ingredients:

1/4 cup additional peanut oil
4/5 large cloves of garlic chopped
3 Tb chili powder
1 Tb cracked red pepper
pinch of salt

Recipe:

Heat oil in a tall pan. 

Add chopped garlic and let it cook until lightly brown.
Add cracked red pepper.
Remove from the heat and add chili powder (it burns easily).
Add salt to taste.
Cool and pour in a glass jar and store it in refrigerator. 

Notes:

1) It keeps well in refrigerator for many weeks.. Take it out and let it thaw before using it.
2)I serve this chili oil with many soupy curried vegetables like spinach/methi bhajis.
3) I use it with Chinese, Thai or Italian dishes.
4) You can use it as a condiment with fresh chapatis, phulkas. 
5) when I make pita bread pizza,  I spread this oil on pita bread before adding tomato sauce and then add veggies and cheese on top of it.  

Spinach Bhaaji 2

Ingredients:

2 tsp peanut oil
1/8 tsp hing powder or 2/3 cloves of garlic cut lengthwise.
1 cup frozen chopped spinach (palak) (thaw and squeeze water out) or use 2 cups  fresh spinach.
2 handful toor dal washed well.

2-3 Tb besan flour
3/4 dry red chilies
1/4 tsp tamarind paste (add 4-5 Tb water and mix well)
1 tsp brown sugar or cut gud (Indian brown sugar)
1 cup fresh or frozen or canned corn, washed and drained (optional)

Recipe: 

Cook spinach and toor dal in a pressure cooker.
Heat oil in a flat pan or Kadhai (wok)

Add mustard seeds and let them pop.
Remove from heat and add 1/8 tsp hing powder or garlic and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder.
Return to heat and add 2-3 dry red chilli peppers.
Add cooked toor dal and spinach and stir.
Add 1 cup of water and let it cook.
Mix besan flour in 1/2 cup of water, add to mixture and keep stirring.
Add tamarind and brown sugar.
Add salt to taste.  Cook for 5 more minutes until all ingredients mix well.
If needed, add water...it should have consistency of soup.
Add corn (optional)
Serve it in a bowl and add 1 tsp of chilli garlic oil on top. 

Serve as a side dish with rice, chapati, paratha, puri, naan or pita bread.

Notes:

1) I use the same recipe for methi (fenugreek) leaves.  
2) I use Toufayan pita bread. I roast pita bread on top of stove (using cake cooling rack). I use tongs and keep turning the bread until it puffs up and then open it and apply 1 tsp ghee on it. I serve this immediately.
3) Glossary of Vegetables - Indian Names
http://www.syvum.com/recipes/indian/glossv1.html