Puli Upma/ Puli mavu /Simple Rice Upma

I wonder if any other cuisine in the world would have as many starters, naashta and in-betweener varieties as ours. Take Upma for eg, so many varieties with so many ingredients and so many variations too. In that train of thought, one of the simplest upma recipes that's a personal favourite is - Puli Upma made with Rice flour and just few other ingredients.

Each one has their own version of this dish or preference of how they like it. I personally like it little crispy and brown, while some like it pasty.

How you like it is up to you, here's the base recipe though as a guideline.

PULI UPMA / PULI MAVU / RICE FLOUR UPMA

INGREDIENTS

Rice flour - 1 cup

Tamarind extract - 1 cup (1 lemon size tamarind made into 1 cup using enough water)

Salt to taste

Hing powder - 1/4 tsp

Tempering:

Sesame oil - 4-5 tbsps

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal - 1/4 tsp

Dry Red Chili - 2 medium

METHOD

1. Add rice flour, salt and hing to a bowl. Knead into a soft dough using the tamarind extract water as required. Keep aside.

Note: Check for salt at this stage itself.

2. Heat oil in a wok. Add sesame seeds and let splutter.

3. Add urad dal and red chilies, roast till dal turns golden brown.

4. Using your hands, sprinkle the kneaded rice flour dough into the oil carefully, like you would do for Onion Pakoda. Basically, take small portions of the dough and drop into the oil using your fingers as a nozzle.

5. Mix well with the oil On low-medium flame, so that it gets absorbed evenly into the rice flour dough. Keep stirring, breaking down the dough bits as you stir till you get Sago/sabudana size bits.

6. Stir for about 5-7 mins till the upma leaves its raw smell. You can switch off the flame if you don't want it too brown and crispy.

Serve hot. Tastes best with yogurt or curd rice.

Sembilai Vada (South Indian Patra)

 This one is a delightful dish. The Gujarati Patra is more popularly known but did you know there's an equally delectable South Indian version too?

Pair this Patra with Pepper/Jeera rasam and South Indian kadhi and your day's made :)

SOUTH INDIAN STYLE PATRA

Ingredients: 

Arbi/Colocasia leaves - 8 small or 6 large leaves

Toor dal - 1 cup

Red chilli - 4

Salt to taste 

Hing - 1/4 tsp

Method:

1. Wash & soak toor dal for 1 hour. Drain and grind to a thick paste (use very little water) along with red chillies, salt and hing.

2. Wash and pat dry the arbi leaves. Place it face down on the counter and carefully trim away the thick back vein.

3. Spread the ground lentils mixture evenly over one leaf and place another leaf on top. Repeat the process with as many leaves as you want to layer with, but bear in mind that too many leaves will make the rolling part difficult; so best to limit it to max 4 leaves.

4. Roll the leaves a bit tightly and hold in place. Place on the steamer plate and steam cook for about 10 minutes. Remove and cool slightly.

5. Cut the roll into 1/2 inch thick rolls. Heat enough oil for shallow frying in a pan and fry the patra slices till golden brown on both sides. Alternately, if you are health conscious you can also brush the rolls with oil and fry in the microwave oven or Air fryer.

6. Drain excess oil and serve as desired.

Apple-Banana Sheera (Halwa)

 Fruits are an amazing source of natural sugar. I  love using them in desserts. This one for example. First try and it came out so well. Do try it and let me know.

APPLE BANANA SHEER (HALWA)

Ingredients:

Semolina/Rawa - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Water - 2 cups (For the roasted rawa I used, it absorbed a good 3 cups water, so please use as required)

Chopped apple - 1/4 cup

Chopped Banana - 1/4 cup

Sliced cashews - a few

Cinnamon powder - a pinch

clove powder - a pinch

Method:

1. Add water and chopped apples to a saucepan and let simmer so the apples cook. After about 5 mins, add the cinnamon and clove powders so the apple absorbs the flavour.

2. Once the apple pieces are tender, add the sugar and stir well. Simmer only till sugar dissolves. Turn off flame.

3. Meanwhile heat ghee in a non-stick pan and add cashews. Roast till golden brown, remove and keep aside.

4. Now add the semolina/rawa to the ghee and keep stirring on low-medium flame till rawa turns golden brown and you get a nice 'bhuna hua' or roasted aroma.

5. Add the chopped bananas and give it a good stir for 3-4 mins.

6. Now carefully add the apple-sugar water (it will splutter so be careful). Stir quickly and continuously to avoid lumps.

7. Once all the water is absorbed, check consistency and if the rawa looks cooked. If the halwa is too thick, add little more water.

8. Add the cashews and cover-cook on low for about 5 mins. Check the rawa again. If all looks good, remove from flame and serve.

Homemade Peanut Butter

 How many times have you been tempted to reach out for the peanut butter bottle in the supermarket?

But did you know it is downright easy to make it at home? Takes just about 10 minutes. Here's how...

PEANUT BUTTER

Ingredients:

Whole Peanuts - 200 gms

Olive/ groundnut or refined oil - 1 tbsp

Optional for flavouring - Cocoa powder

Method:

1. Dry roast groundnuts in a pan for about 5 minutes or till the peel starts to crumble

2. Let cool a bit and sift the peel from the nuts

3. Add to a blender jar and grind till it becomes a paste. Add the oil and give it another quick run. Oil is optional, I add it to give it a little shine, smoothness and make it easier to grind.

That's it! Refrigerate in an air-tight jar and use as you like! 

For flavoured peanut butter, add cocoa powder while grinding. Experiment with other flavours and let me know :)

Kacche kele ke kebab

 Had some extra Raw bananas leftover after Mahalaya daan. Overdone the Podimaas and roasted sabjis. This was a long pending one on my bucket list. So tried Kacche kele ke kebab the weekend. Super super super it turned out. And the recipe is simple too. Here we go...

KACCHE KELE (RAW BANANA) KE KEBAB

Ingredients :

2 raw bananas

1 -2 medium potatoes, boiled and peeled

2 Green chilies (medium), finely chopped

1 tbsp Cornstarch

1 inch piece Ginger

Salt to taste

1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)

1 tsp Black pepper powder (or Red chili powder)

1 tsp Garam masala (optional)

Bread crumbs or crushed Oats for coating

Oil to shallow fry

Note: You can also add methi leaves if you have and/or chopped Banana flowers

Method:

1. Pressure cook the bananas upto 1 whistle. De-skin and mash them

2. Add the boiled, peeled potatoes and mash them as well.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients (except oil) and mix well. Check for taste.

4. Heat oil for shallow frying on medium flame. Divide the kebab mixture into equal portions. Roll in bread crumbs. I personally prefer crushed oats. The texture is so good.

5. Drop the kebabs into the oil and let cook on low-medium flame till golden brown on both sides.

6. Remove and drain excess oil. Serve hot.

Dosa with Leftover Rice

Our Moms and Grandmoms have always nailed it when it comes to making the best of leftovers and not letting anything go waste. Agree? Here's a simple Dosa recipe made with leftover rice.

DOSA WITH LEFTOVER RICE

& GINGER CHUTNEY

Ingredients: (Makes about 9-10 dosas)

Leftover rice - 1 cup

Sooji - 1 cup

Yogurt - 1 cup

Curry leaves - a few (optional)

Green chilies - 1 medium (optional)

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Whisk together Sooji and yogurt. Blend it along with the cooked rice, curry leaves and green chili in a mixer to a smooth batter.

2. Let the batter rest for at least 2 hours before use.

3. After the resting period, add a little salt and whisk the batter well. Add water to adjust consistency.

4. Prepare dosas as you always do.

Serve with Ginger chutney

Ginger Chutney:

1.5 inches Ginger, roughly chopped

2 dried red chilies

Urad dal/Black gram - 1 tbsp

Tamarind  - 1 small lemon size

Salt to taste

Oil - 1/2 tsp

Jaggery - 1 tsp (optional)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a small pan and roast ginger, red chilies and Urad dal till the dal is golden brown.

2. Add the tamarind bits in the end and saute a little. Let cool a bit.

3. Grind to a smooth chutney in a blender along with salt to taste and jaggery (optional).

Check for salt and serve with any dish of choice.

Atte Ke Namak Pare

Perfect season for crisps and what better than homemade fried food isn't it :)

Try this recipe for Whole Wheat flour salted biscuits or Namak Pare as they are called.

ATTE KE NAMAK PARE

Atta Namak Pare

INGREDIENTS:
Atta - 1 cup
Sooji - 1 tbsp
Hot oil - 3 tbsps
Salt to taste
Ajwain - 1/4 tsp
Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Water as required
Oil for frying

METHOD:
1. Mix together the dry ingredients.
2. Add hot oil and mix again for a crumbly mixture but that holds shape to an extent.
3. Add enough water to make a stiff dough.
4. Heat oil for frying on medium flame.
5. Divide dough into equal portions.
6. Roll out into thin rotis nd cut out strips of desired shapes.
7. Drop them into the oil and fry till golden brown.
Drain excess oil and store in an air-tight container.

Spicy Mango Curry

Come summer and it's unquestionably Mango time :) And also when pictures and videos of Poori-Aamras start making the rounds.

Luckily got hold of some good mangoes amidst this Lockdown so thought of ticking that box. But wanted to try something different. That's when I remembered the Mangalorean delight - Ambe Upkari.

This Mango curry is not the same but inspired by it.

If you are using the Sugar Baby Mango, then take 4-5 for this recipe, whole, not chopped. I had the Badami so roughly chopped and used it.

Here's my recipe..

SPICY MANGO CURRY

Ingredients:

For the Spice Paste

1 tbsp Coriander seeds (Dhaniya)

1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)

2-3 Medium Dry Red Chilies

1 tsp Black Peppercorns (Kali Mirch)

1 tsp Fenugreek seeds (Methi)

2 tbsps Coconut, grated

1 inch piece of Ginger

Main Ingredients:

1 Ripe Mango, medium size, chopped into big pieces ( I used Badami, if using smaller mangoes, take 3-5, whole not chopped)

1 cup Mango puree

1 Medium potato, Boiled, peeled & chopped

1-2 tsps Tamarind (Imli) paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp Kashmiri (or normal) Red chili powder

For Tempering

1 tbsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

2 medium Dry Red Chilies

A few Curry leaves

Method:

1. Dry roast the ingredients for spice paste, except for grated coconut and ginger. Add the Methi seeds towards the end and take care not to over-roast it. Remove from flame and let cool.

2. Grind to a smooth paste along with grated Coconut and ginger using a little water. Keep aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Once they splutter add the red chilies and curry leaves. Saute a bit.

4. Add the ground spice paste, a little water and fry for 2-3 minutes on low-medium heat. Drop in the chopped boiled potatoes, add red chili powder and salt to taste and mix well. Cover cook for 5-6 minutes till spices coat potatoes well.

5. Keep the flame low, add the mango puree and little water more (about 1/4 cup) to adjust consistency. Stir well and check for salt and spice. If too sweet, add a little more chili powder to suit your taste.

6. Finally add Imli paste and stir. Cover-cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove from flame and serve hot with Roti/Poori or Rice too.

Chocolate/Bournvita/Maltova Burfi

Who says no to Chocolate!! Chocolate does make everything more cheerful right? :)

A simple besan burfi is a must try and must have in any home. Add the chocolate touch and it becomes even more special!!

Try my simple recipe for a super soft Chocolate Burfi.

CHOCOLATE BURFI

Ingredients:

Gramflour/Besan - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - 1/2 cup

Milk powder - 2 tbsps

Bournvita /Maltova - 1/4 cup

Ghee - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Grease a cake tin or steel plate with ghee and keep aside.

2. Prepare sugar syrup by adding sugar to water and bringing it to a boil on low-medium flame. Let simmer till you get a 1-string consistency.

3. Heat ghee in a kadhai and roast the besan till you get a nice aroma. Do not brown it too much. Keep aside.

4. Dissolve the Bournvita/Maltova in just 1 tbsp water to make a thick paste.

5. Once sugar syrup is done, add it to the roasted besan and stir quickly leaving no lumps.

6. Add the Bournvita /Maltova paste and milk powder and keep stirring on low flame till the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan.

7. Turn off the flame and quickly pour into the greased plate/tin. Grease the bottom of a flat steel bowl with ghee and quickly flatten the mixture to spread it out evenly.

8. Let cool a bit and while it's still soft and warm, use a greased knife to cut into desired shapes.

Let cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

Restaurant Style Poori Masaal

Poori Masala or Poori-Masaal as it's called is a popular tiffin item served in most South Indian restaurants, especially Tamil Nadu. There are no complex spices or a gravy as such. But the combination is divine and one of the most sought after dishes on the menu. Here's how my mom makes it.

POORI MASAAL

Ingredients:
5-6 potatoes, medium
2 Onions, medium, sliced
2 Green chilies, medium, chopped
1 tsp Mustard seeds
Curry leaves
1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp Chana dal
1 tbsp Gramflour (Besan)
Salt to taste
2 tbsps oil

Method:
1. Boil, peel and roughly chop the potatoes or hand-crush them.
2. Heat oil in a wok on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and let splutter.
3. Add chana dal, green chilies, ginger and curry leaves. Fry for a min.
4. Add the onions and cook till translucent. No need to brown them.
5. Now add the potatoes and salt and stir well. Cover cook on low for 2-3 mins.
6. Meanwhile mix gram flour in enough water to make a really thin kadhi type mixture. Need not be pasty.
7. Add this to the potatoes and stir on low heat till the gravy starts to thicken.
When it does, remove from flame and serve hot with Pooris.

Malaadu (Pottukadalai laddu)

Two typically favourite questions of every Indian? Khaane mein kya hai and Khaane ke baad meetha kya hai? 😋😅
And what better than homemade sweets?
Laddoos are a common favourite across India.. My favorite are Motichur and the homemade Malaadu.
Literally translated, Malaadu  or Maavu laddoo is nothing but laddoo made of flour (maavu). It's one of the simplest sweets to 'roll up' anytime and needs just 4 ingredients.
Most popular variations are made of Roasted gram flour.

It's healthy and even better if made with jaggery. We tried with the khandsari sugar, one of the healthier alternatives to refined sugar.

MAALAADU (ROASTED GRAM LADDOO)

Ingredients:
Roasted gram (pottu kadalai) - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup (we used Khandsari sugar)
Ghee - 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp
Cashews - 1/4 cup (roughly chopped)
Cardamoms - 2-3 or cardamom pwd - 1/4 tsp

Method:
1. Grind sugar, cardamom and Roasted gram to a fine powder and keep aside.

2. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a wok and roast the cashews. Add to the powdered mix.

3. Heat remaining ghee in the wok on low flame for about 2-3 mins.

4. Add half the ghee quantity to the powder and mix using fingers. Check the consistency by making a laddoo and see if it holds shape.
If not, add some more ghee till you get the right texture.
The laddu mixture should neither be too greasy nor too dry.

5. Shape into laddoos and store in an airtight container.
If you are feeling too lazy to make the laddoos, you can have the powdered mix as is too :)

Raw banana raita

Raw Banana is an amazing vegetable, I just love its texture. Works beautifully with kebabs and burger patties. Have you tried it in a raita? Saw this recipe on youtube and tried it today.

RAW BANANA RAITA

Ingredients:

1 Raw banana, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup fresh coriander
2 green chilies (medium)
5 tbsps grated coconut
1/2 cup yogurt

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 medium red chilies
Few curry leaves

Method:
1. Pressure cook the raw banana upto 3 whistles. Remove once pressure subsides and mash well while still hot.

2. Grind coriander, green chilies, coconut and a little yogurt to a paste.

3. Add to the mashed raw banana along with the remaining yogurt and mix well.

4. Prepare seasoning by heating oil, add mustard seeds and let splutter. Add red chilies and curry leaves, and add to the raita.

Khichdi Style pulao

Workout is excellent in your health routine but muscles need protein to mend. Are you getting enough protein in your food, especially if you are a vegetarian?
Here's a recipe that mom made today inspired by a youtuber.
The addition of Moong dal in this simple pulao adds supreme wholesomeness to the dish.

KHICHDI STYLE PULAO

Ingredients:
1 cup Rice, washed and drained
1/4 cup Moong dal, washed and drained (you can use both yellow split or husked split lentils)
1/2 cup Lima beans if in season or green peas
4 -5 Small onions
2 medium tomatoes
2 tbsps ghee
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 cups water

Spice paste (to grind):
1" ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp Saunf
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
2 medium green chilies (3-4 if they are moderately spicy or you need more spice)

Method:
1. Grind the spice mix ingredients to a paste. Keep aside. Optional to grind the onions and tomatoes too.

2. Heat ghee in a wok or pressure pan and fry onions till golden brown.

3. Add the spice paste and cook well for 3-4 mins. Now add the sliced tomatoes, turmeric powder and cook well till done.

4. Add the lima beans and/or green peas and cook for 5 mins more.

5. Add water, rice and dal and pressure cook up to 2 whistles.

6. Remove once pressure subsides and fluff up the rice. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot garnished with dhaniya.
Serve with Raw Banana Raita. Click here for the recipe.

Red Rice Pongal

Day 1 of Navratri and it's time to bring out the creativity in Bhog. Red rice gets its hue from a compound called Anthocyanin. In its unhulled or semi-hulled forms, this rice is an excellent source of antioxidants, minerals and fibre. It has a low Glycemic index too.
For Pratham day, we made a Red Rice Pongal (It can be made risotto style too)
PS: Don't be stingy with ghee! :)

RED RICE PONGAL

Ingredients:
Red Rice - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Jaggery - 1.5 cups
Cashews, raisins - a few
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 1/4 cup

Method:
1. Wash and pressure cook rice along with milk and water upto 6-7 whistles, so it's well done to a very soft consistency. Keep aside.

2. In a saucepan, add jaggery along with 2 tbsps water and stir on low heat till it dissolves. Filter the impurities first. Now transfer back to saucepan and stir on low till you you get a sticky consistency (no strings needed)

3. Mash the cooked rice and add the jaggery syrup to it. Stir on low -medium heat till it all comes together well.

4. Heat ghee in another wok, roast the dry nuts and keep aside.

5. Pour the heated ghee over the Pongal. Add cardamom powder and give a quick stir. Leave it covered for a while to allow flavours to soak in.

6. Serve hot garnished with ghee-roasted nuts.

Intriguing Read - Heartquake

An IAS officer, a cardiologist and a police officer...corrupt politicians and a medical epidemic to boot. Sounds like right out of a Rohit Shetty movie doesn't it?
Heartquake is the new baby from the pen of author K.Vijaykarthikeyan after Once Upon An IAS Exam.

Story Summary: IAS Officer Vikram Kumar, or VK is an honest IAS officer, who seeks to expose the corrupt politician RPR, i.e, Rudra Pratap Rana. In a typical movie style twist, officer Kumar is transferred to Laxmipur as sub divisional magistrate, right in Rana's backyard.

Vikram Kumar commences his duty and RPR commences his vengeance. However life has other plans for Vikram, as a sudden epidemic grips the town. What initially seems like normal heart attack cases suddenly escalates into a series of mysterious deaths.
How Vikram with the help of cardiologist and a police officer and by risking his life, seeks to find a solution to this mystery forms the premise of the rest of the book.

The Indian diaspora, especially the movie buffs, are no strangers to a plot like this. Where the protagonist walks into the enemy territory with his head held high and looking to right the wrongs.

Doctor turned career bureaucrat himself, Dr. K. VijayKarthikeyan uses writing as a way to express himself. In his words, writing for him is way to vent and rejuvenate himself.
He also says that what he sees around him inspires him to write. "We are the world we choose to create".

When it comes to crime thrillers, it is important to create a strong imagery in the reader's mind and leave the rest to the reader's imagination. The author chooses a compact set of characters and I found all of them mostly relevant to the plot. Description of some scenes were a tad violent in parts, but not to the extent of leaving me disturbed.

What I especially like is that the author, just like in his previous book, Once Upon an IAS Exam, keeps the characters relatable. It is nice to see desi authors come into their own, especially as there is enough happening around us everyday to make for books on almost every field of life. Will definitely look forward to Vijayakarthikeyan next book.

Pongal /Khichdi

(SALT) PONGAL (South Indian Style Khichdi)

Ingredients:
Rice - 1 cup
Split green gram - 1/2 cup
Black peppercorns - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Cashews - a few
Ginger - 1 inch piece, chopped
Salt to taste
Clarified butter (Ghee) - 2 tbsps
Curry leaves - a few

Method:
1. Heat a pan and dry roast the green gram for just a minute. Transfer to a clean dish. Wash along with rice and pressure cook with 4 cups water upto 4-5 whistles, reduce and cook for 5 mins more. Remove from flame.
2. Add salt and mash while still hot.
3. Coarsely grind the peppercorns and cumin seeds. They need to be just broken down, not powdered.
3. Heat ghee in a pan, add cashews and roast till golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
4. Add the curry leaves, ginger to the same ghee and saute for 1/2 a minute. Turn off flame and add broken peppercorns and cumin seeds. Give it a quick stir and add to the Pongal.
Serve hot.

Lemon Rice

One of the simplest Rice varieties out there is the Lemon Rice. It's very simple to mix up and you can add variations of your own too!
Here's my mom's version..

LEMON RICE

Ingredients :
Rice - 1/2 cup
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Bengal gram(chana dal) - 1/4 tsp
Asafetida (Hing) pwd - 1/8 tsp
Turmeric pwd - 1/4 tsp
Green chilies - 2 medium
Curry leaves - a few
Lemon - 1 medium
Chopped capsicum, carrots, boiled peas (optional) - 1/2 cup
.
Method :
1. Pressure cook rice with equal measure of water, basically Pulao consistency. Once pressure subsides, transfer to a plate and let cool to room temperature. Gently fluff it using a fork.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds & let splutter.

3. Add chana dal, chopped or slit green chilies, curry leaves and fry for a minute. If using vegetables, add them in at this point and cook till 3/4th done.
NOTE: Add salt to taste if adding veggies else add them later directly to the rice.

4. Add hing pwd, turmeric pwd, give a quick stir and remove from flame.

5. Add the tempering mix to the rice along with salt and gently mix till all the rice is well-coated.

6. Once well-mixed, squeeze half  lemon and check taste. Squeeze the other half if you want it more tangy.
Serve slightly warm.

Thandu Keerai and Koottu

A lot of us cook Foxtail Amaranth/Thandu Keerai in many ways.
Here's an interesting tidbit about the greens from my mom. She grew up in a village near Madurai and I love hearing her interesting food stories!

So near her village, these greens would typically be sown right after harvesting Turmeric for Sankranti/Pongal. This is or was, a practice unique to the Melmangalam Taluk.
The greens would be ready for harvest 6 months later. Hence they would be called Manjal thottam Keerai or Aaru maasam (6 months) Thandu Keerai. Cool right?

By the way, I'm in love with this Storage Basket + Colander from Amazon. A blessing when washing greens especially.
Click the image or Check it out here..

Without much ado, here are the 2 dishes made with the greens
1. Thandu (Stem) Poricha Koottu
2. Puliyitta Keerai (leaves cooked with tamarind)What's left will be combined with leftover Tomato Rasam, given a quick simmer and finished off with dosas that night. :)

THANDU KEERAI KOOTTU

Ingredients:
Amaranth Stems (chopped) - 1 cup
Split Green Gram (moong dal) - 1/4 cup
Rasam powder - 1 tsp (If rasam pwd isn't available use the spice paste)
Salt to taste

For Spice Paste (if Rasam pwd not available):
Grated Coconut - 2 tbsps
Dry red chili - 1 medium
Cumin seeds (Jeera) - 1 tsp

Tempering:
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Split Black gram (Urad dal) - 1/4 tsp

Method:
1. Cook the chopped stems and moong dal separately.
2. Transfer both to a sauce pot and add salt to taste.
3. Add Rasam powder or ground spice paste, mix and simmer-cook on low for about 7-8 mins. Remove from flame.
4. Heat oil in a tempering ladle, add mustard seeds and let splutter. Add urad dal, roast till light golden and add to the Koottu.
Serve hot.

PULIYITTA KEERAI

Ingredients:
Amaranth leaves - 2 cups (washed, drained & roughly chopped)
Split Pigeon Peas (Toor dal) - 1/4 cup, pressure cooked till soft
Tamarind - half a lemon's size, juice extracted upto 1 cup
Green chili - 1-2, medium
Salt to taste
Vattralkuzhambu Powder or Sambhar powder - 2 tsps
Fresh coriander, chopped - a handful

Tempering:
Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Hing - 1/2 tsp

Method:
1. Blanch the greens in very little water. Let cool, then coarsely grind.
2. Add the ground leaves to a sauce pot along with slit green chili, tamarind water and salt to taste and let simmer on low flame till raw smell leaves the mix.
3. Lightly mash the cooked lentils and add to the greens mix. Add the Vattralkuzhambu or Sambaar powder, chopped coriander leaves and simmer on low flame for about 5-7 mins. Remove from flame.
4. For tempering, heat oil, add mustard seeds and let splutter. Switch off flame, add hing, mix well in the oil. Add to the keerai and serve hot.

Morkeerai

There are many ways of cooking greens, especially in the Indian cuisine. Two methods that are my favourite from Mom's kitchen are - Masicha Keerai or Mashed Greens and MorKeerai, literally greens cooked in Buttermilk.
Featured here - MorKeerai, literally greens in buttermilk.
A simple, yummy and healthy recipe that can be prepared using almost any variety of greens, Spinach or variants of Amaranth.

There are many ways of making this, here's a simple method from my mom's repertoire..

MORKEERAI

Ingredients:
Greens of choice (Spinach, Arai keerai, Mulai keerai) - 1 medium bunch
Whisked yogurt - 1 cup
Green chili - 1 -2 medium
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Tempering:
Sesame oil - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Black gram - 1/4 tsp
Dry red chili - 1 medium

Method:
1. Blanch a medium bunch of greens with salt and turmeric pwd. Cool and mash or coarsely grind.
2. Slit 1-2 green chilies and add to the mashed greens. Cook on low flame.
3. Add 1/4 tsp rice flour to whisked yogurt and add to the mix. Let simmer but take care not to let it boil.
4. Check for salt and remove from flame.
5. Temper by heating 1/4 tsp sesame oil, add mustard seeds, black gram and 1 small dry red chili.
Serve as is. Best part, it can be served at room temperature and as a raita too.

Sooji Halwa (using Jaggery)

As we look to move away more and more from refined foods, it's high time to go back to roots and use what our ancestors did. White sugar for one is not used in my home anymore. We prefer jaggery in its whole or powdered form, or honey and cane sugar.
This Halwa comes out absolutely superb using jaggery and a must, must try..

SOOJI HALWA USING JAGGERY

Ingredients:
Ghee (Clarified butter) -¼ cup
Sooji / Semolina – ½ cup
Jaggery (roughly powdered) – 1 cup
Elaichi powder – a pinch
Salt – a pinch (optional)
Water – 2 cups
Cashews and raisins, roasted in ghee

Method:
1. Heat water in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Heat ghee in a non-stick wok. Add sooji and roast till you get a nice aroma.
3. Add the boiled water and stir quickly to avoid lumps.
4. Stir well till sooji absorbs all the water and is well cooked.
5. Add the jaggery and stir on low flame till jaggery dissolves and mixes well.
6. Add the roasted dry nuts and cardamom powder. Stir again for 3-4 minutes and remove from flame.
Serve hot.