Beet-Root Rice

Thanks to my friend Alagammai Alagu for sharing this recipe. It is simple and easy to make, oh! Did I mention healthy too.

Ingredients:-

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Rice - 1 cup

BeetRoot - 1 medium size
Onion - 1/2 of small size 

Green Chilli - 2
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Bay Leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 2
Cloves - 3
Cashew nuts - 4~5 (optional) 
Oil - 1/2 tsp 
Coriander Leafs for garnish

Salt to taste

Notes before cooking:-

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- Wash and clean Rice

- Grate Beetroot 

- Chop Onion to small pieces
- Slit green chilli lengthwise

Preparation:-

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- Heat oil in a Rice cooker, add Cashew nuts and fry till it turns golden brown.
- Fry Cumin seeds, Bay Leaf, cinnamon and cloves for few minutes.
- Add Ginger Garlic paste, fry till the raw smell goes off.
- Fry Onion and Green Chilli till the onion turns golden brown.
- Now add Beetroot and fry for 5~7 mins
- Add water and salt, wait till it boils. Now add rice and close the Rice Cooker.
- Cook Rice till 2 whistles from the cooker.
- Garnish the rice with coriander leaves.

Spinach Dhal

Ingredients:-

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Toor dhal - 1/2 cup

Spinach- 1/2 bunch

Onion - 1/2 of medium size

Tomato - 1 1/2 medium size 

Garlic  - 3 Pods 

Sambar Powder - 1 1/2 tsp.

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.

Ghee - 2 tsp.

Salt to taste

Ingredients for Garnish:-

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Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.

Red chillies - 2 nos.

Curry leaves - 4~5 leaves

Asafoetida / Hing - pinch

Notes before cooking:-

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- Wash Toor dhal thoroughly

- Wash spinach thoroughly and chop

- Cut onion lengthwise
- Chop Tomato

Preparation:-

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Stage 1:-

- In a Pressure cooker, add toor dhal, turmeric powder, chopped garlic, tomato and 2 cups of water

- Place the pressure cooker on stove for 3~4 whistles

- After 3~4 whistles, move the cooker from the stove and let the pressure release.

Stage 2:-

- Place a Frying pan in Medium Flame, Add ghee

- Once the oil turns warm, Add mustard seeds, Asafoetida, Red chillies and curry leaves

- When the mustards splutter, add the cut Onion and fry for a couple of mintues until onion turns transculent.

- Add Spinach to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes.

- Now add sambar powder to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes more.

- Add 1/2 cup of water and let it boil for a couple of mintues.

Stage 3:-

- Open the pressure cooker when the pressure is released, place the cooker on a medium flame.

- Mix the contents of the cooker so the dhal is crushed well.

- Now add the contents of the pan into the cooker and let it simmer for 10~15 mins. Add required salt at this moment. 

Fish Podimas

Ingredients:-

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Fish - 1/2 kg

Onion - 1 no. Large Size

Green Chilli

Garlic  - 5 Pods (Chopped)

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 tsp.

Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - 5~6 leaves

Pepper Powder - 1 tsp.

Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp.

Oil - 2 tsp.

Salt to taste

Ingredients for Cooking Fish:-

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Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch

Salt

Notes before cooking:-

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- Clean Fish thoroughly

- Chop onion to fine pieces

- Chop green chillies

- Chop coriander leaves

Preparation:-

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Stage 1:-

- Place a Cooking Vessel in High flame stove, drop the fish pieces and fill water until the fish pieces are submerged.

- Add the ingredients listed in Ingredients for Cooking Fish  section.

- After 5~7 minutes, check if the fish is  75% cooked, remove the vessel.

- Transfer the fish into a dry container and shred into tiny pieces

Stage 2:-

- Place a Frying pan in Medium Flame, Add oil

- Once the oil turns warm, Add Fennel Seeds, Chopped Onion and Green Chilli pieces and fry for a couple of mintues until onion turns transculent.

- Add Ginger Garlic Paste to the mixture and fry for a mintue

- Now add the shreded Fish pieces and salt as required to the pan and fry for 10 mintues (approx).

- Add Garam Masala, Pepper Powder, Curry Leaves and fry for 2 mintues and remove the pan from the stove.

- Garnish the fish podimas with corriander leaves.

Shrimp Fry

Ingredients:-

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Shrimp - 30 ~ 35 no's medium size

Onion - 1 no. (Medium size)

Coconut shredded - 2 ~ 3 tsp.

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp.

Garlic - 3 pods crushed (optional)

Green Chilly - 2 nos (optional)

Curry Leaves - 3~4 leaves

oil - 2 tsp.

mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp 

Coriander Leaves to garnish

Salt to taste

Water - 1/4 cup

Ingredients for Marination:-

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Chilli powder - 1 tsp.

Corriander Powder - 1 1/2 tsp.

Pepper Powder - 3/4 tsp. 

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp.

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp.  

Notes before cooking:-

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- wash, clean, de-shell and de-vein the shrimps

- Chop onion to fine pieces

- Slit green chillies

- Chop coriander leaves

- In a bowl, mix the ingredients under the 'Ingredients for Marination' section with the shrimps. Make sure the shrimps are fully coated. Marinate the shrimp for 1/2 hr minimum. (keeping it in refrigerator would help)

Preparation:-

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- Place a pan on the stove in medium flame, Add oil to the pan.

- When oil is hot, add mustard seeds and wait until its starts to splutter.

- Add the chopped onions, green chillies (optional), crushed garlic pods (optional) and fry until the oil turns light brown.Add the curry leaves to the pan at this stage. Curry leaves adds a lot of flavor to the dish.

- Add the ginger garlic paste to the pan and fry for couple of minutes until the raw smell goes away.

- Add grated coconut to the pan and fry for couple of minutes.

- Now add the marinated shrimp to the pan, fry for a couple of minutes. Mix water to the pan , Close the pan with a air-light lid and let it cook for 8~10 minutes.

- After 10 minutes open the lid and let the shrimps cook until the oil separates from the mixture.  (To quickly check, Sample a shrimp just to make sure the shrimp is cooked).

- Garnish the shrimps with chopped coriander leaves.

Egg Briyani

Ingredients:-

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Eggs - 4 nos
Rice - 1 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 no. (Medium size)
Briyani Masala - 1/2 pack
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
green chillies - 2 no's
Cloves - 2 nos
Bay Leaves - 2 nos
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp.
Curd - 1 cup
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp
cashew - 1 tsp (optional)
ghee / clarified butter - 1 tsp.
oil - 2 tsp.
Salt to taste

For egg coating :-

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red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Giner Garlic paste - 1/4 tsp.
besan powder - 1/4 powder
Egg - 1 no.
Ghee / clarified butter - 1tsp.

Notes before cooking:-

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- Wash and soak rice in water for 1/2 hour
- Cut onion lengthwise
- Slit green chillies
- Chop coriander leaves and Mint leaves
- Beat curd for smooth consistency

Preparation:-

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- Place a heavy bottom vessel in medium flame, pour oil to the pan
- When the oil is hot, add the spices and cumin seeds and fry for couple of minutes
- Add onions to the pan and fry for few minutes until it becomes light brown
- Once the onions changes color, add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell of the paste goes away.
- Add chopped coriander, Mint and green chillies and fry for a minute, add cashews to the pan and fry until it turns brown.
- Pour curd into the pan and mix well
- After a minute goes by, add the briyani masala to the pan and mix well for couple of minutes
- Drain water from rice and add it to the pan. To the pan add 3 cups of water (since the rice was soaked in water for 1/2 hour, it would have absorbed close to 1 cup of water. So add 1 cup less)
- Close the pan with a air tight lid and let it cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn the stove to low flame and let it cook for 10 minutes.

- Meanwhile in a plate, mix the ingredients thoroughly under For egg coating section. Coat the boiled eggs in the mixture
- Place a pan on the stove in medium flame, add ghee
- fry the coated boiled eggs in the pan.

- Add the fried eggs to rice and mix the rice with the eggs , be careful not to break the rice. Add ghee to the rice. Adding ghee gives a lot a flavor to the briyani.