Daddojanam (Yogurt rice)

Ingredients:

Rice - 2 cups
Yogurt - 2 cups
Green chilly - 2
Cilantro - 1/2 bunch finely chopped
Salt - per taste

Seasoning:

Vegetable oil - depends on the usage (I usually use close to 1/4th cup of oil)
Cumin seeds - 1 table spoon
Mustard seeds 1/2 table spoon
Urad dal / while lentils (minapappu) - 2 table sppons
Dried red chilly - 2 nos, broken into pieces
Cashew nuts / peanuts - handful
Curry leaves - 10 (approx)
Asafoetida - a pinch

Method:

1. Cook rice, let it cool for a while and mash it lightly. Keep it aside.
2. Beat the yogurt finely, add salt and some water. This makes yogurt light and easy to mix with rice.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, cashew nuts, and urad dal. Toss lightly and fry until the cashew nuts turn golden brown.
4. Add green chilly, red chilly and curry leaves to the seasoning topping it off with a pinch of asafoetida. Fry for a minute and keep it aside.
5. Add the yogurt to rice and mix well. The rice has to be slightly mashed and juicy, you may add little water to make it juicy.
6. To the rice add and mix the seasoning thats kept aside.

Nice and mild Daddojanam is ready! Serve with a tangy pickle :-)

Aloo Ragada/ Ragada Patties... The Yummy Indian Street Food

Ingredients:

For Potato Cutlets:

Potatoes - 3 boiled, peeled and mashed
Turmeric - 1/4 table spoon
Chaat Masala - 1/4 table spoon
Coriander Powder - 1/4 table spoon
Flour - 1/2 cup (to hold the cutlet)
Salt - per taste


For Ragada:
Chickpeas - 1 can (or) soak chickpeas in water for 8 hours, wash them and boil before use
Tamarind pulp - 1/2 cup
Jaggery juice - 1/2 cup
Mint chutney - 1 table spoon
Chaat Masala - 2 table spoons
Coriander Powder - 2 table spoons
Onion - 1 chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped


Method:

1. Add the turmeric, coriander powder, flour, chat masala and salt to the mashed potato. Mix well and divide the mixture into small balls, press them in between the palms to make patties.
2. Deep fry all the patties in oil until golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
3. Fry onions and tomatoes for 3 minutes.
4. Add chickpeas, tamarind pulp, jaggery juice. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the chickpeas absorb the tangy taste.
5. Add mint chutney, chaat masala, coriander powder and salt.
6. Cook for another 3 minutes and serve hot with the aloo patties.

Vegetable Biryani ~ My Style!

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 200g (washed, drained and kept aside)
Carrots - 2 (thinly sliced)
Potato - 2 big cut into medium sized cubes
Green Beans - about 10 ends chipped off and cut into long pieces (PS: I did not have green beans at home, so cooked without them this time!)
Onion - 1 big sliced
Ginger paste - 2 table spoons (freshly made)
Green chilly - 4 (freshly made into a paste)
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts - handful

Seasoning:

Cumin seeds - 1 table spoon
Cloves - 4 or 5
Cardamom - 3 or 4 crushed
Coconut powder - 3 table spoons
Fenugreek powder - 3/4 table spoon
Cinnamon powder - 1/4 table spoon
Coriander powder - 1 table spoon
Salt - per your taste
Vegetable Oil - 1/2 cup to fry all the vegetables well!

Method:

1. Heat oil in a shallow pan, add cloves, cumin seeds, cardamom and cashew. Fry until cashews turn golden brown.

2. Add cut onion, and ginger - chilli paste, stir and cook for few mins.

3. As onions start turning light brown, add carrots and potatoes.

4. Add cinnamon powder, fenugreek powder, coriander powder, salt and stir well.

5. Add yogurt and mix well so that the vegetables are coated uniformly.

6. Lavishly spread the coconut powder on top, simmer and cook for few minutes.

7. Now, add the washed basmati rice to the vegetables and stir.

8. Transfer the contents into a rice cooker and cook.

(PS: No need to add extra water for the vegetables as the yogurt is moist to cook them all! I usually add 1.5 cups of water for 1 cup of basmati rice.)

Serve the Biryani with Raita - a splendid combo! Happy eating!

Will share my Raita recipe soon :)

Allam Pachadi (Ginger Chutney)

Ingredients:

Ginger - a big piece or 100g
Tamarind
Jaggery
Dried Red Chillies - 5
Asafoetida - a pinch
Fenugreek powder - 1/2 table spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 table spoon
Seasoning - with cumin seeds and mustard seeds
Salt - per your taste

Method:

1. Peel and grate the Ginger. Keep it aside.

2. Soak tamarind and jaggery in hot water for a while to squeeze syrup of both.

3. Make rough powder of the dried red chillies (Hint- if you fry the chillies on a tawa for few mins without oil, they can be smashed by hand into rough powder. Please wait until they cool down, lest you burn your hands!)

4. Heat oil in a thick base pan, add some jeera and dried red chillie powder, as it starts to fry add the grated ginger.

5. Let it fry for a min or two until the ginger soaks in the oil.

6. In the mean time add asafoetida, fenugreek powder, turmeric and salt.

7. Add the tamarind pulp and jaggery water to the pan and stir.

8. Simmer and boil until the water evaporates for a semi thick Ginger Chutney. Add salt per your taste.

This Ginger chutney stays for almost 2 weeks when stored under dry conditions in a refrigerator. Serve it with Dosas, Idlies, and even with hot white rice!