Mixed Beans Tomato Rice

Mixed Beans Tomato Rice is a fibre and protein rich one pot meal. The dish is very nutritious. Rice is rich in starch, an excellent source of energy. Rice also has iron, vitamin B and protein. Beans also contain a good amount of iron and an even greater amount of protein than rice. I have mixed some of his favorite beans, along with basmati rice and some Indian spices tempered in oil with some mustard & curry leaves pairing turmeric and garam masala. It was really easy to prepare, tasty and a healthy meal. 

Ingredients:

Cooked white Basmati rice - 2 cups

Mixed beans (Chick peas, Black-eyed beans, soya bean and anything else you like)

Onion - 1 medium, sliced thinly

Tomatoes- 2 small, chopped

Garlic - 2-3 cloves, finely chopped

Green chillies - 1-2, finely chopped

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp 

Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp 

Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp 

Few curry leaves

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

Wash and pressure cooked the beans for 10-15 minutes.

Heat oil in a large pot and add curry leaves and mustard seeds. Once they start to sizzle, add garlic, green chillies and sliced onions, saute till lightly browned.

Add tomatoes and cook for a few minutes till they begin to pulp. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder and allow spices to blend well.

Then add cooked mixed beans and let cook for 5-6 minutes.

Mix in cooked rice and stir-fry till each grain is well coated with all the spices. 

Serve warm with Egg Curry Or Raita...

Sending this to Indrani's "Spotlight : One Pot Meal" event, Nivedhanam's"

Dish it Out–Lentils and Garlic" and Pari's "Only VEGAN Cooking" hosted by PJ

Baby Lima Beans Curry / Baby Beans Curry

             I don't know where lima beans are originally from but I know they taste good. This curry is simple to prepare, different in taste and goes very well with Chappathi's.

Ingredients:

Fresh Lima Beans - 1-1/2 cups
Onion - 1 no(large sized)
Tomato - 1 no(Medium sized)
Garlic - 5 pods
Ginger - 1/2 inch sized
Green chilli - 3 no's
Coconut - 1/4 cup(grated)
Mint leaves - your hand full
Coriander leaves - your hand full
Poppy seeds - 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Red chilli - 2 no's

Curry leaves - 10 leaves

Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon

Chilli powder - 1-1/2 teaspoons

Coriander powder - 2 tablespoons
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tablespoon

Salt - as needed

Method:

• Take a tawa and dry roast Onion,Tomato,Garlic,Ginger,Green chilli(until everything becomes soft).

• Before switching off add required Salt, Coconut, Mint leaves and coriander leaves.

• Cool them and add a spoon of poppy seeds, grind the contents to fine paste.

• Heat oil, add mustard, red chilli, curry leaves, fennel seeds and add the ground paste with 1 cup water.

• Mix well and add Chilli powder,Coriander powder and allow to boil for 2 minutes.

• Now add the lima beans and let it cook on medium flame for 12 minutes.

• Lima beans curry is ready for Rice/Chappathi.

Note :

• I prefer to cook lima beans in the gravy. we can also pressure cook the beans for 2 whistles with water just to immerse the beans and add that to the gravy in the end.

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Recipe source:www.nlrockrecipes.com
You can find the original recipe here

Ingredients

1. All purpose flour- 1 1/3 cup
2. Baking soda-1/2 tsp
3. Salt-1/4 tsp
4. Butter-1/2 cup
5. Light brown sugar-1/2 cup
6. Sugar-1/2 cup
7. Egg- 1 no
8. Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
9. Chocolate chips/ chopped chocolate bars-1to 1 1/2 cups

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 deg C.Line a baking tray with parchment paper.Keep aside.
• In a mixing bowl ,whisk together all purpose flour,baking soda and salt.Keep aside.
• In a large mixing bowl,cream together butter ,light brown and white sugar until light and fluffy.Add egg and vanilla.Mix well until combined.
• Now add the flour mixture to this  and mix gently ,just until combined.Do not over mix.
• Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
• Drop a tablespoonful of dough on to the prepared baking sheet ,two inches apart.Bake for about 12- 15 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown.
• Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring the cookies on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Kuzhal Pittu/ Kozha Puttu / Idli pittu (With Video for preparing the batter)

              Could there be a more authentic dish from Kerala than Pittu ? This is an all-time favourite breakfast in our home. My grandma makes it with Kadala curry in no time. But my favorite sides with  pittu are nendrapazham and pappadam. Well Pittu with kadala curry is just not filling but a heavenly combo in taste !!

           

              The way you prepare the batter (that is mixing water with rice flour) is very important. If your proportions are not right, then you might result with a hard pittu. I added a video along for easy understanding of the consistency you will require.

                Update : Am happy to update this post with step wise process to make Idli pittu. Am sure this person "Meena" will be the happiest to get this update...Thanks meena hope i kept my word.

Ingredients:

Raw rice powder roasted - 1-1/2 cups(Idiyappam making powder)

Cold Water - 1/2 cup (Depends on the batter consistency)

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Grated coconut - 1 cup (i used frozen)

Method:

• Mix rice powder with salt.

• Sprinkle water little by little to get the required consistency. 

• Here is the video for batter consistency.

• Take your pittumkutti and first insert the chillu(which holds the mixture and let the steam in to cook pittu) into it. then set it properly adjusting it from the bottom. now fill the rice mixture then some coconut. thus layering them(we go for 3 layers in total).

• Now pour water till the line of the pittukodam, place it on stove and when the steam starts to come out place your pittumkutti on the top. let it cook for about 10 minutes by that time you will see the steam coming out from the top of pittumkutti which means the pittu is done.

• Once its cooked take a plate and push the pittu slowly from the bottom.

• Kuzhal pittu is ready to serve with kadala curry / nendrapazham / sugar.

Updated process for making pittu using idli stand on 8th april 2013:

• Pour water in your idli making pot and let the water steam. 

• Layer idli stand with some grated coconut or grease with some oil(like we do for idli's for people who are interested in coconut). next layer the pittu batter on top of coconut.

• Arrange the stand one above other to the idli pot. Steam for 10 minutes on medium flame.

• Remove from stove and let it rest for 2 minutes. Remove the idli pittu using spoon and toss the other side with coconut while serving.

My Notes: 

• If you do not have pittukodam at home you can place the pittumkutti directly on the pressure cooker steam nob/whistle nob(fill the cooker half with water and close when it starts boiling so the steam comes through the steam nob/whistle nob).
• If you do not have pittukodam and pittukutti then you can prepare the same just like the way you make idli's in your idlipot or cooker. grease the idli plates and spread grated coconut,next the rice flour mixture. steam them for 7 to 10 minutes and your idli pittu is ready in no time - This version is updated above on 8th april 2013.

Happy to link this post to:

KERALA STYLE PRAWN ROAST | CHEMMEEN ROAST

Ingredients

1. Prawns- cleaned and deveined- 2 cups
2. Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
3. Ginger -crushed- 1 tsp
4. Garlic crushed- 1 tsp
5. Shallots -sliced- 1/2 cup
6. Coconut pieces-1/4 cup
7. Green chilies -cut vertically- 1 or 2  nos( optional)
8. Fenugreek seeds powder-1 pinch
9. Curry leaves- 1 sprig

For marination

1. Kashmiri chili powder- 2 tsp
2. Black pepper powder-1 tsp ( or to taste)
3. Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
4. Coriander powder-1 tsp
5. Garam masala powder-3/4 to 1 tsp
6. Salt to taste

Method

• Combine prawns with  all the ingredients for marination and keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds,let it splutter.Now add ginger,garlic,shallots and coconut pieces.Saute for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Now add green chilies and fenugreek powder.Mix well for few seconds.
• Add the marinated prawns and curry leaves.Add more salt if required.Cover and cook over medium low heat, just until done.
• Add more curry leaves ,if desired.

NOTE

For best results use homemade garam masala.

Coconut Cookies

Coconut cookies are sweet, light and crispy, with a rich coconut flavor  If you love coconut, if you love crispy cookies, you will love these. These cookies are ready so quickly, easily.

Ingredients :

Maida - 1 cup

Coconut - 1 cup

Butter - 150 gm

Egg - 1

Sugar - 150 gm

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Baking powder  - 1 tsp

Salt a pinch

Method : 

Preheat the oven 180C for 15 mins.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla essence. Beat together.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt, coconut. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined and there is no flour showing in batter.

Place tablespoons full of dough on cooking sheet.

Bake at 180 for 10 - 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely.

Kadala Curry / Brown chickpea Curry

              No prizes for guessing which state this recipe is from. The sight of coconut and kadala (brown chick pea) should pop Kerala in your mind. Kuzhal Pittu/Puttu with kadala curry is a great combination and if you're visiting Kerala, don't leave without tasting it. Strangely, it is mostly available in small tea shops rather than bigger restaurants. 

              I heard from my relatives who currently are in different parts of Kerala that the style of making kadala curry differs from district to district. Infact i saw many friends of mine adding ground paste of small onion, raw coriander seeds, green chilli, mustard seeds and fennel seeds to the gravy. My style is super easy and just the way my mom makes. This is my first recipe my husband(being a mallu but been to kerala only 5 times in his life before marriage) fell in love with but with a complaint that I am only able to replicate 90% of my mom's kadala curry :)

Ingredients:

Brown chick pea - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 2 tablespoons
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup (i used frozen coconut)
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Water - 3-1/2 cups
Salt - as needed

To temper:
Coconut oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli - 3 no's
Curry leaves - 5 to 6 leaves(i didn't use as i was out of stock)

Method:

• Wash and Soak chickpea overnight. Pressure cook it with 3-1/2 cups of water adding salt,turmeric powder. Run on medium flame for 4 to 5 whistles.

• Once steam is down open pressure cooker(switch on stove again), add chilli powder,coriander powder and allow to boil well(until raw smell of powder's go)

• In a mixer grind coconut and cumin seeds to gether to fine paste and add that while the gravy boils. let it just boil on medium for 1 minute and switch off the stove.

• Now heat coconut oil in a small kadai, add mustard(allow to splatter), add red chilli and curry leaves. add the tempering to the gravy.

• Kadala curry is all ready to serve with Pittu/Puttu. Kadala curry also goes well with oothappam/dosa/idli.

Happy to send this recipe to: