Easy Vegetable Pulav (Rice)

Vegetable Pulav is a quick and comforting one pot meal.  This is an easy recipe for a quick and delicious rice dish. You can serve vegetable Pulav with Onion/tomato raitha, vegetable, egg or chicken curry.  Enjoy!    

Ingredients

Basmati rice - 2 cups
Onion - 1 medium

Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Ginger paste - 1 tsp

Mixed vegetable - 1 cup

Bay leaves - 2

Cinnamon stick - 2 inch

Cardamom - 4

Cloves - 4

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Butter - 3-4 tsp

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Method 

Heat butter in a vessel and add cumin seeds. bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom. When the cumin seeds splutter, add the onions and saute the onions till they are translucent.  Now, add the ginger and garlic paste and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Soak the rice for 10-15 minutes. Wash the rice and fry the rice for 4-5 minutes in the butter and add the mixed vegetables.  Pour 31/2-4 cups of water and add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder and Garam masala.  Cook the rice on medium heat. 

Once the rice and vegetables are cooked, turn off heat. Add fried cashew nuts and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves. Enjoy!

Egg curry

Egg curry is a popular South Indian dish where the boiled eggs are cooked in an onion-tomato spicy mixture.  The eggs soak up the wonderful spicy flavor.  Egg curry is great with Indian flat breads, Parathas, Chapathi or Poori.  It can also be served with rice.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

Boiled Eggs - 5
Onion - 1 medium
Green chillies - 3-4
Tomato - 1
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
Cilantro leaves

Method

Heat 2 tsps of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and urad dhal.  When the mustard seeds splutter, add the onions, green chillies and curry leaves and fry them until the onions are translucent. Add ginger and garlic paste and fry them for 2-3 minutes.  Add the chopped tomatoes and fry until the onion and tomato mixture blend well.

Now add salt and the dry spices to the onion-tomato mixture and fry until the oil begins to separate from the masala.  Add a little water if required.  Now, half slit the boiled eggs vertically and add them gently to the gravy. Simmer the flame and cook for 10 minutes.

Garnish the gravy with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with chapathi or rice.

Mango Kulfi

 

Kulfi is a popular Indian ice cream and it comes in a variety of flavors.  If you like Mangoes, then you will definitely like this dessert.  This is the easiest recipe for a delicious dessert. I have tried this recipe with Mango pulp but the combination of pulp and condensed milk made it too sweet.  Hence, I made the recipe with fresh mangoes.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

Mangoes - 2 medium
1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
Whipping cream - 4 oz

Method

Peel the skin of the mangoes and grind the flesh with condensed milk, evaporated milk and whipping cream (I used half and half).

Pour the mixture into Popsicle molds or a pan. Freeze overnight in the freezer. Enjoy!

Carrot Halwa

Carrot Halwa is one of the popular Indian desserts.  Carrot Halwa is made with fresh carrots and cooked in milk and garnished with nuts and raisins.Carrot Halwa can be served either warm or cold.  I used to make Carrot Halwa with milk and it usually takes a long time. This recipe is from www.vahrehvah.com and he used half the milk and added Paneer or khoya towards the end. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Carrot - 4 cups (shredded)
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 4 cups
Lime juice - 3 tsp
Raisins
Cashews
Cardamom - 4-5

 

Method

Pour 2 cups of milk into a pot and bring it to a boil over medium heat. As the milk begins to boil, add the lime juice to the milk while stirring constantly. The milk will separate into curd and water. Place a cheesecloth into a colander, and pour the milk mixture through it. Drain the water from the paneer by letting the paneer in the colander for a couple of hours. 

(Paneer)

Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a pan and fry the raisins and nuts and set them aside.  Now, fry the grated carrots in the ghee until the raw smell disappears.  Add two cups of milk and cook the carrots in the milk in an open pan with medium flame.  

 

When the carrots are cooked and the milk is absorbed, add sugar and stir continuously.  Now, add the paneer/khoya to the mixture.  Add the raisins, nut and cardamom powder and remove the pan from the stove when the carrot halwa is moist.  Enjoy!

 

Puran Poli

Puran Poli is a traditional South Indian sweet dish made during festivals.  Puran is the sweet lentil filling and Poli is the flat bread.  Puran Poli can be made using sugar but I like it with jaggery.  The original recipe is from www.vahrehvah.com. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Chana dhal (yellow split pea) - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
All purpose flour - 11/2 cup
Sooji (optional) - 2 tsp
Turmeric (optional) - a pinch
Cardamom - 5
Salt
Ghee
Oil

Method 

Cook the chana dhal in a  pressure cooker and drain any excess water.  Mash the dhal and add jaggery and cook on a medium flame till the mixture thickens.  Add the cardamom powder and divide the mixture into equal balls.

Combine the flour, salt and  knead it into a soft dough using little water.  Add some oil and make it like chappathi dough.  Divide the dough into equal balls and set them aside.

Roll out one of the dough balls into a circle and place one of the filling in the center.

Bring the edges of the dough together to cover the filling.

Flatten the dough and cook it on a griddle over a medium flame till it turns golden brown on both sides.

 

Smear little ghee on each poli and serve them hot.

Fish Fry

 

Fish Fry is one of our favorite dish.  This recipe is an easy recipe with fewer ingredients but taste very good.  You can use Fish fillet of any kind (Tilapia, Mackerel, Cat Fish) without any bones. My favorite kind is King Mackerel (Vanjaram in Tamil) and the dish goes well with Fish curry or Fish Biriyani.  A South Indian seafood meal is not complete without Fish Fry.  Enjoy!

(King Mackerel - Vanjaram)

Ingredients

Fish - 2 lbs

Salt - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder - 2 tsp

Oil

Method 

Add turmeric powder, Chili powder, salt, and Oil into a paste..You can add a little water to the mixture if the paste is too thick.

 

Rub the paste over the Fish on both sides and marinate for 2-3 hours (put them in the Fridge).

Heat oil in a pan and add the marinated fish. Fry the fish until they are crispy.

  

Serve the Fish fry with Fish curry. Enjoy!