Vegetable Biryani(Kerala Style)

I and my family are big fans of Chicken Biryani. So we seldom make vegetable biryani at home. I only make when my mom visits us in Singapore. Because she is a vegetarian. Last week, I had a potluck at my office and I chose to bring biryani. My colleagues Jason and Anelyn told me not to bring chicken curry as they wanna bring their style chicken dishes. Jason is from Korea and Anelyn from Philippines. Others are Indians. So we had Biryani, 2 types of chicken dishes, Udupi Sambar, Chapati and dal, Raita and Carrot Kheer. It was an awesome lunch and all enjoyed very well. But the best part is they started asking me the biryani recipe. Actually I used home made biryani masala and that gives the taste to my vegetable biryani. I have shared the home made biryani masala powder recipe in my previous post. Please try this tasty recipe and enjoy with your loved ones.

Ingredients
For Rice
Basmati Rice - 3 cups
Ghee - 2 tablespoons
Cinnamon stick - 2 small pieces
Mace leaves - 2
Cardamom - 3
Cloves - 5
Saffron - 3 strands, dissolved in hot milk
Salt - to taste
Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon
Water - 3 cups
For vegetable Masala
Big onion - 1, chopped
Carrots - 1 cup
French Beans - 1 cup
Frozen green peas - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Fennel seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Green chilli - 2, slitted
Coriander leaves - to garnish
Salt - to taste
Oil/ghee - 2 tablespoons
Water - 50 ml
To garnish
Ghee - 1 tablespoon
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Cashew nuts & raisins -  a few
Onion - 1, thinly sliced

Method
Recipe for Rice

Wash and clean the rice and soak in some water for 20 minutes. Drain it after 20 minutes and keep aside. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and add cinnamon sticks, mace leaves, cardamom pods and cloves and fry for a few seconds. Add basmati rice and fry for 2-3 minutes. Now add water and salt. Pour lime juice and mix well. Cover the pressure cooker and switch off after 1 whistle.

Vegetable Masala
Heat oil/ghee in a pan and add fennel seeds, then add onions and saute until onions are translucent. Add carrots and beans and mix well. Add in ginger garlic paste and chillies. Now add turmeric powder, salt and garam masala. Pour water and mix well. Cover the pan for 2-3 minutes. Now open the lid and add green peas. Cover the pan and let the vegetables cook for 1 more minute. Switch off the flame and add coriander leaves.
For garnishing
Heat ghee and oil in a pan and deep fry thinly sliced onions, cashews and raisins and keep aside.
Layering the Biryani
Take a wide pan and coat the bottom layer with vegetable masala. Then rice on the top and pour saffron mix. Now spread fried onions, cashews and raisins. Repeat the process and the top most layer should be the rice. Again spread fried onions, cashews and raisins on the top. Serve hot with raita and pappad.

Home made Biryani Masala powder/Garam masala powder(Kerala Style)

Yes, this is the recipe of my biriyani masala and I use the same as my garam masala powder too.
Ingredients
Cinnaom sticks - 4, 1 inch each, break into small pieces
Cloves - 10 nos.
Cardamom - 8 nos.
Star Anise - 4
Pepper seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mace leaf - 3 nos.
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon

Method
Roast all the ingredients in medium flame and keep aside. Once it cools, blend it and store in an air tight container.

Dry fruits-saffron Pulao

Here, I am giving you a recipe of flavoured rice with dry fruits and saffron. Usually we make variety biriyani dishes during weekends, but I wanted to try
something deliciously different and easy to make. Then ended up with this rice which was not disappointing😃. My hubby and kids enjoyed the rice. Actually I prepared Smoky Chicken Masala
with this flavoured rice which I liked very much. I will share the recipe later. So please try this pulao and enjoy with family!
Ingredients
Biryani rice/Jeera rice - 2 cups
Water - 3 cups
Butter - 2 tablespoons
Onions - 1, thinly sliced
Salt - to taste
Fennel seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Cardamom - 2 nos
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - half inch piece
Tutti frutti - 2 tablespoons
Dates - 5 nos, chopped
Dry figs - 3 nos, chopped
Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
Saffron - 6 strands
Raisins - 2 tablespoons
Cashew nuts - 10 nos

Method

Wash the rice well and soak for 30 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a pressure coooker and add fennel seeds, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Saute for a minute and add onion slices and fry till onions are transparent. Now add Tutti frutti, dates, and figs and saute for a few seconds. Now add rice, water and salt and mix well. Add saffron strands and lemon juice and mix gently. Cover the pressure cooker and lower the flame after first whistle. Wait for a few seconds and switch off before the second whistle comes (I used jeera rice and measurement of water and cooking time given here depends on jeera rice).
Open the pressure cooker lid once the pressure gets released completely. Mix gently with a fork and remove the spices which can be seen on top of the rice if you don't want to bite those while having rice. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a pan and fry raisins and cashew nuts. Garnish the flavoured rice with fried raisins and cashew nuts. Serve hot with raita, pappad and lemon pickle.

Oats in yogurt

We have heard mixing oats with milk for breakfast or dinner. I have tasted oats in yogurt without salt or tadka 6 years back when my colleague (Chinese lady) brought it to office. Actually I hesitated to try because it was totally a new combination for me. But she compelled me to try and said I will definitely like it. Finally I tried half a teaspoon of it and it was amazing. Later I modified it to our Indian version and find it really superb. If you are following any diet, you can try this recipe.
Ingredients
Oats - 5 tablespoons
Yogurt - 4 tablespoons
Green chilli - 1 no.chopped
Salt - to taste
For tempering
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Shallots - 3 nos, chopped
curry leaves - a few

Method
Mix oats, yogurt,green chilli and salt and keep for 20 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry shallots until it is brown. Add curry leaves and pour this mixture to oats. Mix and serve.

Green Beans/Cherupayar/Moongdal Salad

I'm here with another healthy recipe which is suitable for those who are in diet. We know that after 30 years, it's better to cut down carbs intake and increase protein in our daily diet. So here, I'm giving you the best salad with green beans.

Green beans is packed with protein and low carbs, also known as moong dal is one of the best vegetarian superfoods. An integral part of the Indian diet, it is a good and filling option for those who want to shed kilos. Compared to other dals, moong dal is one of the low carb pulses available. Other pulses are high in protein but carbs too. This salad is super tasty and good for health. It's very easy in preparation too. So let's start!
Ingredients
Green Beans - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 Medium size, chopped
Tomato - 1 small size, chopped
Green Chilli - 1, chopped
Lime juice - 1/4 teaspoon
Olive Oil - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - 1 tablespoon, chopped

Method
Wash and soak green beans overnight. Boil it for 20 minutes. Make sure it is not overcooked. Once it is cool, add other ingredients and mix well. This is a very good replacement for rice.

Healthy Oats Laddu

Oats are among the healthiest grains on earth. Oats help in weight loss, lower blood sugar levels and a reduced risk of heart disease. Oats Are Incredibly Nutritious. Today, I'm gonna present a sweet dish with oats and sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are a good source of bone-forming minerals like calcium, phosphorous, magnesium etc. Calcium and magnesium are stress-relieving minerals and thus sesame seeds hep you sleep better. Please try this healthy and easy snack at home and enjoy it with your loved ones :)
Ingredients
Oats - 2 cups
Sesame seeds - 1 cup
Almonds - 10 nos
Jaggery - 3/4 cup, grated
Cardamom - 3 pods
Ghee - 1 tablespoon

Method
Roast oats for 10 minutes and keep aside. Roast sesame seeds until it gets popped up and set aside. Also roast the almonds. Blend roasted oats, almonds and sesame seeds to a coarse powder. Add cardamom pods and jaggery and blend again. Transfer the mixture to a vessel and add 1 tablespoon ghee to it. Mix well with your hands and make small balls out of it.

Notes : - You can use any type of oats. You may find difficult to make balls out of the mixture since it is not wet. Don't worry, you can still make balls.

Ari Unda/Rice Laddu(Kerala sweet)

Ari unda is my favourite snack item. My grandma used to prepare it in 'Ural', old type of mortar which was used to pound rice. Traditionally rice is pound with this equipment to make rice flour.  This equipment is very similar to mortar and pezzle but much bigger than mortar and pezzle. A person will stand and use the ulakai, the pezzle like equipment to pound the rice. Then the pound rice is placed in a sifter and sifted to get the flour.  When sifting the rice the particles which are collected in the sifter would be put into the “ural” again and pound to make the rice flour.  This equipment is now replaced with electric equipments. Ari unda made this way used to be so yummy. You can also try making this evening snack recipe at home and let your children enjoy the traditional sweet.
Ingredients
Kerala Matta Rice/Brown Rice - 2 1/2 cups
Jaggery - 2 cups, grated
Coconut - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon

Method

Wash and clean the rice well and remove stones if any. Heat a pan and roast the rice. Keep stirring until the rice pops up and crispy. Transfer the roasted rice to a bowl and let it cool. Take a wide bowl and mix grated coconut and jaggery with your hands. Now grind the roasted rice to powder (not too fine) in a blender. Add the rice powder to the coconut jaggery mixture and mix well using hands. Add cardamom powder and mix well again. Make small balls with the mixture and store in an air tight container.
Notes - You may add roasted peanuts or almonds also. The rice laddu will be harder only on the next day. You can consume up to 4 days.

Winter Melon Mango Curry

Ingredients
Toor Dal -1/2 cup
Winter Melon - 1 cup, diced
Mango - 1, peel skin and cut into long thin slices
Drumstick - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves -  a few
Coconut oil - 1 tablespoon
Salt - to taste
To Grind
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Water - 1/4 cup

Method
Pressure cook dal upto 3 whistles and open once it completely releases the pressure. Add winter melon, mango slices and drumstick to the same pressure cooker and cook upto 1 whistle. Meanwhile, grind the ingredients under 'To Grind' to coarse paste and add to the pressure cooker. Add turmeric powder and salt. Add more water if you do not want gravy to be thick. Mix well and let it boil for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame and add 1 tablespoon coconut oil and curry leaves. Serve with Kerala matta rice.

Pappaya Kheer (Pappaya Payasam)

Pappaya payasam is also almost similar to pumpkin payasam. But still I love pumpkin payasam more :) Please try both payasams at home and share your feedback.
Ingredients
Ripe Pappaya - 2 cups, cubed
Almonds-10nos
Sago (Tapioca pearls)-4 tablespoons
Jaggery-1 ½ cups, grated
Cardamom-5, crushed
Thin Coconut Milk-2 cups
Thick Coconut Milk-1 cup
Ghee-1 ½ tablespoons
Cashew nuts-a few
Raisins-a few

Method
Soak almonds in hot water for 20 minutes and remove the skin. Grind almonds to paste. Boil some water and add grated jaggery to it. Mix until jaggery is completely dissolved. Allow it to cool and then strain. Cook sago in boiling water for about 5-8 minutes and wash in cold water and keep aside.
Heat ghee in a pan and saute the pappaya until it's soft. Add almond paste and mix well. Now add jaggery syrup and mix well. Add crushed cardamom and cooked sago. Add thin coconut milk and let it boil for a few minutes. Add thick coconut milk and simmer the fire. Let it boil for 2 minutes and turn off the fire. Fry cashew nuts and raisins in ghee and garnish the payasam.

Gooseberry Pickle (Nellikka Achar)

If you are a pickle lover, I suggest you to definitely try this recipe at home. This is such an easy version of gooseberry pickle and tastes amazing. Please do try and post your feedback...😃
Ingredients

Gooseberries - 15 nos
Ginjelly Oil - 1/2 cup
Chilli powder - 3 tablespoons
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Roasted Fenugreek powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - as required

Method

Wash the gooseberries well and wipe with a clean towel. Roast some fenugreek seeds and grind to powder. Heat a pan and fry gooseberries for 5-6 minutes without adding oil. By doing this, pickle tastes like sun-dried gooseberry pickle. Transfer this to a clean bowl. Heat gingelly oil in the same pan and add mustard seeds, let it splutter. Add gooseberries, turmeric powder and chilli powder and mix well. Add salt and mix well until the gooseberries are coated well in the mixture. Now add fenugreek powder and asafoetida. Mix again and switch off the flame. Once cool, store this in an airtight container at least for 20 days. You can start using the pickle after 20 days to get better taste.
Notes - You can use chilli powder according to your taste. You can also use Kashmiri chilli powder to get the colour. You can also remove gooseberry seeds before doing the pickle.

Masala Dosa

Masala Dosa is my personal favourite. Here am showing the recipe of 'potato filling' which is called "Masala". It's very simple and anyone can make this at home.... This masala goes well with "Poori" as well.
Ingredients
Potatoes- 3 big, cut into cubes
Onion - 1 big, thinly sliced
Fresh green peas (frozen) - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2, finely chopped
Ginger - 1/2 inch, crushed
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - as required
Coriander leaves - chopped
For seasoning
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Dry Chilli - 2 nos
Channa dal - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - a few

Method 

Pressure cook diced potatoes, onion slices, green chillies and ginger with less water for 3 whistles. Open the lid once the pressure completely goes off. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, dry chillies, and channa dal. Let it splutter. Make sure the flame is low. Add curry leaves. Now add the cooked potato onion mix to it and mix well. Now add frozen peas to it. Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Cover and cook for a minute in low flame. Garnish with some coriander leaves. Stuff this mix in a plain dosa and serve with coconut chutney and sambar. This is a simple way of making potato masala. Do try it out! 

Fried Chicken

Who doesn't love chicken right?? I love all chicken varieties. Here, I'm giving a tasty fried chicken recipe which you can serve as a starter. Please try it out...
Ingredients
1. Chicken-500gms, cut into pieces
2. Mint leaves-½ cup
3. Green chillies-3
4. Garlic-3 cloves
5. Coriander leaves-½ cup
6. Corn Flour-4 tablespoons
7. Maida-1 tablespoon
8. Chilli powder-1 teaspoon
9. Turmeric powder-1/4 teaspoon
10. Pepper powder-½ teaspoon
11. Salt-to taste
12. Ginger-garlic paste-1 tablespoon
13. Egg-1
14. Oil – as required

Method
1.Blend ingredients 2-5 and keep aside.
2.Combine ingredients 6-11 in a bowl.
3.In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredient mixture, ginger garlic paste, egg and the blended mixture. Mix well till we get a thick paste.(Do not add water)
4.Add the cleaned chicken pieces to the masala paste and marinate. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
5.Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the chicken pieces.

Mint Egg Masala

Ingredients
Eggs - 4, boiled
Mint leaves - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1 teaspoon, chopped
Garlic- 3, chopped
Green Chilli - 1
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil- 2 tablespoons 
Onion - 1, chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Coconut milk - 3 tablespoons

Method
Peel and cut the boiled eggs into 2 pieces. Grind mint leaves, coriander leaves, ginger, garlic and chilli with a little water. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Let it splutter then add chopped onions. Add turmeric powder and salt and saute until onion turns brown. Add the ground mixture and mix well. Add some water and allow to boil. Pour coconut milk and mix well. Add the boiled egg pieces to the mixture and serve hot.

Rava Laddu

Ingredients
Rava-1 cup
Sugar-1 cup
Coconut-1/2 cup, grated
Ghee-2 tablespoons
Cardamom powder-1/2 teaspoon
Raisins-a few
Warm Milk-1/4 cup

Method

1. Heat ghee in a pan and fry the raisins and keep aside.
2. Fry rava in the same pan until it becomes fragrant and change its colour. 
3. Add grated coconut and roast for a few minutes.
4. Add sugar and mix well.
5. Add cardamom powder and raisins and turn off the flame.
6. Allow it to cool a bit, not completely.
7. Pour the milk and mix well to make the mixture soft.
8. Divide the mixture into parts and make small balls out of it.
9. Yummy rava laddoos are ready to serve.
10. Store it in an airtight container.

Ghee Payasam with Brown Sugar

Ingredients

Broken rice - ½ cup

Brown Sugar – 1 cup

Ghee – 2 tablespoons

Cardamom powder – a pinch

Grated coconut – 5 tablespoons

Rock Candy/Kalkkandam – a few

Raisins – a few

Water - 1 ½ cup

Method

1. Wash the rice thoroughly in water.

2. Add rice to the boiling water and cook until water gets drained (Do not overcook).

3. Add brown sugar and keep stirring for a few minutes.

4. Add ghee and continue stirring on low heat.

5. Add grated coconut and mix until the payasam gets thick consistency.

6. Add cardamom powder, kalkkandam and raisins and switch off the fire.

7. Delicious ghee payasam is ready to serve.

Bread Pudding with Custard Sauce

Ingredients

White Bread – 12 slices, cut into squares

Eggs-2

Sugar-5 tablespoons

Vanilla essence-1/2 teaspoon

Milk-3 cups

Method

Preheat the oven at 180°C. Soak the bread pieces in 1 cup of milk for a few minutes. Grease the bottom and the sides of the baking dish with butter. Pour half of the soaked bread to the baking dish. Sprinkle the raisins over the bread and pour remaining bread mix. Whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla essence and 2 cups of milk in a bowl. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and press down on the bread with a spatula. All the bread pieces should be moistened. Add more milk depends on how soft you want the finished pudding to be. Sprinkle the raisins again on top of the bread. Bake the bread for 35-40 minutes until it rises up. Allow it to cool completely. 

Custard Sauce

Milk-1 cup

Custard powder-2 teaspoons

Sugar-3 tablespoons

Vanilla Essence -3 drops

Boil milk and sugar in a sauce pan. Mix custard powder and a little milk in a bowl. Pour it slowly to the boiling milk and whisk well without forming any lumps. Add vanilla essence. Let the custard cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the fire and allow it to cool. Cut the bread pudding into squares and drizzle vanilla custard sauce over each piece and serve.