Vegetable Fried Rice

Vegetable fried rice is an easy way to sneak peak the vegetables in my house and can be easily made to go with any vegetarian or non vegetarian curry. Below one is just carrot and spring onions. Add any vegetables of your choice.

Basmati rice - 2 cups

Carrot - 2 medium

spring onion - 1 or 2 bunches.

vegetable stock or chicken stock - 2 cups

water - 2 cups

garam masala - 1/2 tsp

salt to taste

oil or ghee.

Make your own stock or use store bought. To make your own boil water with chopped onion,carrot and celery with salt and whole garam masala for about 45 minutes. Strain and use.

You can make a large batch and freeze it.

Soak the basmati rice for 15 minutes. Strain.

Thinly slice the vegetables.

To cook the rice add a couple of tsp of oil or ghee and fry the rice lightly.

Add 2 cups of stock and 2 cups of water. Check for salt.

Keep in high. When it boils reduce flame to medium.

When you see the water is almost gone and there will be holes on top of rice, mix it once and sim the flame. Switch off and keep it closed for some time.

In a wide pan, heat some oil, fry the sliced vegetables until well done.

Add salt necessary for the vegetables.

Add garam masala powder and saute.

Add the cooked rice and saute a couple of minutes with light hand.

Done.

Upperi or Banana Chips

Banana is rich in potassium. But beware banana chips has plenty of calories.

Raw Plantain - 5 [any number u wish to]

Turmeric powder

salt

oil for frying

Prepare the plantain by removing the peel of it. Make a long slit on the skin and push it gently with the knife to peel off the skin and wash in salt water.

Take a bowl with water and add a quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder.

Slice banana into thin rounds and drop them in the turmeric water for a few minutes.

Heat the oil for frying.

Mix a tablespoon of salt with a couple of tbsp of water and keep.

Pat the slices dry and deep fry in oil.

When its almost done sprinkle a few drops of salt water.

Once its fully crispy drain to a paper towel.

When it cools transfer to air tight container.Enjoy!

Inji Curry

Inji curry has a lot of variations in different parts of kerala and a must part of onasadhya.

Below is one of it. Its a savoury dish with different flavours of salt,sour,sweet and the star, pungent ginger in it.

Ginger - about 100 gms

Green chilli - 1

tamarind - a gooseberry size

chilli powder -1/2 to 1 tsp

turmeric powder -1/4 tsp

jaggery - 1 tbsp(powdered)

salt to taste

fenugreek seeds - 1tsp

rice - 1 tsp

oil to fry

mustard - 1/2 tsp

curry leaves - a sprig

dry red chilli - 1

Chop ginger and green chilli into fine pieces.

Soak tamarind and extract the pulp.

Dry fry fenugreek seeds and rice and grind it into a fine powder and keep.

Heat about 2 to 3 tbsp of oil. Splutter mustard, followed by curry leaves and dry red chilli.

Add the chopped ginger and green chilli and fry well until browned.

Keep sauteing it and be with it, because it will get burned easily.

When its nicely fried add chilli powder and turmeric powder and fry.

Add tamarind juice and salt. Let it boil for about 5 minutes.

Add jaggery and mix.

Finally add fenugreek and rice powder and keep stirring until slightly thickened.

Done.

Erisseri

As the Onam is so near, thought of sharing some onam recipes.

Onam falls in Chingam; the first month of malayalam Calendar.

It marks the annual visit of King Mahabali and since it is in the harvesting season, there is abundance of all produce.

It is said; "Attam 10,onam".Starting from attam day 10 days are onam and the 10th day is Thiruonam.

The beauty is all keralities celebrate onam.

Memories of onam brings into mind the sumptuous vegetarian feast(onasadhya),floral designs(attapovu),boatraces(vallamkali),plays and games(onakkalikal),new dresses(onakkodi) and a lot associated with it.

Onasadhya consists of a variety of dishes including upperi,sarkarapuratti,erisseri,pulisseri,olan,kalan,inji curry,pachadi,thoran,avial,kootu curry,pradhaman, the list goes on.....

Below is the recipe for erisseri. This is usually done with a combination of vegetables.

Pumpkin and red beans or Yam and raw banana or even using one of these. The procedure is same for all.

Since I didn't have red beans in hand i used black eyed beans. It gives the same taste, but red bean will give a more good colour appeal.

Pumpkin - 2 cups(cut in cubes)

Red beans or black eyed beans - 1/2 cup

turmeric powder -1/4 tsp

coconut - 1/2 cup grated

cumin seeds -1 tsp

dry red chilli - 3 or 4

salt to taste

for seasoning:

oil - 2tsp

mustard seeds - 1 tsp

dry red chilli - 1 or 2

coconut grated - 2 tbsp

Soak the beans and cook them with salt .

Cook the pumpkin too with salt and turmeric powder.

Add to the beans.

Grind together coconut, cumin seeds and dry red chilli and add the the pumpkin and beans.

Mash them lightly or finely depending on the consistency you like.

Check for salt.

For seasoning, heat oil , splutter mustard, add dry red chilli and coconut and fry until coconut is brown.

Pour over the pumpkin bean mixture. Done.

Rava Idli

Below recipe will give 10 to 12 rava idlies. Easy to make and healthy as well.

Rava - 1 cup

yogurt - 1/2 cup

water - around 2 and 1/2 cups

carrot grated - 1/2 cup

cilantro leaves chopped - about 2 tbsp

baking soda - a pinch

salt to taste.

Beat 1/2 cup yogurt with 1/2 cup water and add to rava.

Add salt and mix.

Let it rest for 1/2 to 1 hour.

Now add grated carrot,cliantro,1 cup of water,baking soda and mix.

Check for consistency of batter. It should be like idli batter.

Pour into greased Idli moulds and steam for 10 minutes.

Oven fried Chicken Legs

Chicken leg pieces - 5 (i left the skin on)

oil - 2 tsp

for marinating:

turmeric powder -1/4 tsp

chilli powder -1/2 tsp

salt to taste

for coating:

breadcrumbs - 1/2 to 1 cup

some dry parsely leaves

chilli powder -1/4 tsp

cumin powder -1/4 tsp

salt to taste

First make a brine bath for the chicken. This will make the chicken tender and helps the salt to get inside the meat.

In a bowl take enough cold water to cover the chicken. Add a little turmeric powder,chilli powder and more than enough salt.

Immerse the chicken legs in this water and keep in refrigerator for 1 or 2 hours.

After that take it and drain.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Take 2tsp of oil and massage it on the legs.

In a bowl mix all the ingredients for coating.

Coat the chicken legs well in the breadcrumbs mixture.

Keep it apart in an oven safe tray.

Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350F. Let is bake another 15 minutes.

Done.