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).