Halu Menasina Saaru | Pepper Rasam made using Milk: An excellent home remedy for common cold

As kids whenever we got cold or sore throat, our mom would make this rasam. She made sure we eat it and gave it as a drink too. Honestly when I was a kid, I didn't enjoy eating this. I gave innumerable reasons to avoid eating this rasam. What goes around comes around, isn't it? Now, my son does the same thing that I did to my mom. I really feel sorry for her now.

Anyways, that's for another day. After I started making this rasam for myself, I enjoy eating, drinking and even bathing with it. You know what I mean ;)

This rasam will wake up your senses and all the blocked sinuses will start running.

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves : 2 to 3

Ingredients:
For the rasam:
Water: About 3 cups
Salt: As needed
Milk: About 1/4 cup, refer notes
Jaggery or brown sugar: 2 tsp
Spice powder: 3 tbsp

For the spice powder:
Pepper corns: 1/2 or 3/4 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Coriander seeds: 1/4 tsp, optional
Dry coconut : 1 tbsp, grated or powdered

For the tempering:
Coconut oil: 1 tsp, or any oil of your choice.
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn
Asafoetida: a big pinch

Method:
Dry roast the pepper corns, cumin seeds and coriander seeds until they leave out a nutty flavor. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool.

Once cool, blend together the roasted spices with dry coconut. Make a fine powder.

Mix together water, spice powder, salt and jaggery. Allow it to boil on a low-medium heat for 15 mins. Your house will smell amazing during this time!!

After the liquid has thickened up a bit, add the milk.

Allow the mixture to boil again for another 5-7 mins.
Meantime, prepare the tempering. Add coconut oil to a small wok. When oil is hot, add the mustard and cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the curry leaves. Let the curry leaves wilt and turn off the heat. Add the asafoetida/hing after turning off the heat.

Pour this tempering over the boiling rasam and close the lid of the rasam.
The tempering will be infused in the rasam making it more flavorful.
Serve it hot as a drink, or with rice and a side dish.

Notes:

• I mostly use whole milk to make this rasam. If you are using fat free or 1% milk, you might want to reduce the water and add more milk accordingly.
• Do not use hot milk to this. Always use milk that is at room temperature, or else milk will curdle.
• Also do not add milk in the first step. Let the spices boil in water first.

Quickest bisi bele bath | Pressure cooker bisi bele bath | Cracked wheat bisi bele bath

This is a diabetic friendly bisi bele bath as it is made with cracked wheat (godhi nucchu or daliya) instead of the rice. It's also one of the quickest one pot meal. It's nutritious, healthy and a complete meal by itself.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves:3-4 

Ingredients:
Broken wheat - 1 cup
Pigeon pea dal / Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Mixed Vegetables - 2 cups (Carrot, beans, green peas, potatoes, chow-chow, beets), refer notes
Surti lilwa/avrekalu : 1/4 cup
Tamarind - small lime/lemon sized
Jaggery - According to taste, optional
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida: 1 big pinch
Salt - According to taste
Homemade bisi bele bath powder: About 1/4th cup
Oil: 2 tsp

Ingredients for tempering (Tadka):
Peanuts - 1 table spoon
Cashew Nuts - 4-6
Ghee - 2 table spoons
Red Chilly - 1, broken
Curry Leaves :4-6 nos, torn
Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
Asafoetida: a big pinch
Bell peppers/capsicum - 1 finely chopped (Optional)

Method:

Wash the broken wheat and toor dal together in running water. Drain the water from the mixture and let it soak for about 10 mins.

Meantime soak the tamarind in the hot/warm water. We need the extract of the tamarind. (PS: The other item in the photo is the jaggery syrup or brown sugar syrup).

(PS: 1. Soaked Tamarind, 
        2. Jaggery syrup
        3. Bisi bele bath powder
        4. Turmeric
        5. Salt
        6. Asafoetida)

Heat oil in the pressure cooker. When oil is hot, add the broken wheat and toor dal. Saute the broken wheat and dal for couple of minutes. 

To that add the chopped vegetables, surti lilwa, and mix well.

Add about 5 cups of water to the pressure cooker. 

Add the salt, tamarind extract, jaggery, asafoetida, turmeric powder and the bisi bele bath powder to the cooker. Mix well. 

Close the pressure cooker lid and cook the mixture on a  medium-high heat for 4 whistles. Turn off the heat and let the pressure release. It'll take a minimum of 15 mins for the pressure to release. 

Meantime prepare the seasoning. Heat ghee (clarified butter) on a small pan/wok. When ghee is hot, add the mustard seeds, followed by peanuts. Saute the peanuts on a low-medium heat. When peanuts turn golden brown, add the curry leaves, asafoetida and the bell peppers. Saute the bell peppers till they turn soft yet crunchy. 

Release the pressure from the cooker and pour the seasoning over the cooked bisi bele bath. Mix well and serve. (Refer notes)

Notes:

• I add about a tbsp of finely chopped beets (beetroot) to get a rich color to the bisi bele bath.
• If the cooked mixture is too hard, add a cup of boiling water, mix well and cook again for a couple of minutes.
• I use the ratio 1 cup of broken wheat + lentils to 3 cups of water. Half cup on the higher side wont hurt.
• If you are using the Instant pot, first saute as usual in saute mode. Then turn it on in manual mode (sealing postion ON) for 11 mins. Tada!

Soppina Huli | Vegan Dandelion Greens Curry | Keerai Sambar | Soppina Sambar : A vegan and gluten friendly side dish

I scrutinize the vegetable section of the grocery store whenever I get a chance. Now, with an eight month old, it's not always possible. Couple of weeks back when I saw dandelion greens at the vegetable section, I was taken aback.

Can you spot these yellow flowers..., these are dandelion flowers and I'm talking about that plant...you can see these almost every where in spring season here in America. I stress again.., every nook and corner..

As per my knowledge, they are weeds that grow around the spring time. Dandelions are seen in the nook and corner here in spring season. I was not aware that, they were edible. I didn't dare buy them.
After coming home, I started looking for dandelion greens recipe. Uh uh.., nothing much could be found..but I understood that.., dandelion greens are very good for you. You can read about the health benefits of these greens here, here and here.

I got a big bunch of dandelion greens and made many Indian dishes using the same. We could hardly make out that I have used a new leafy vegetable for cooking. Dandelion greens blend very well with Indian cooking. I have made 6 dishes using dandelion greens so far and everything turned out so yummy!!

Don't call me crazy.., I like to make use of the local and fresh produce as much as possible. They are healthy, and pocket friendly, when compared to the imported counterparts ;)

You could eat this by itself as a thick soup or as a side dish with steamed rice or bread.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 40 mins
Serves: 4 to 6

Notes: 

• You could use any greens like amaranthus leaves, malabar spinach, hongone soppu, dantu soppu, harive soppu etc instead of dandelion greens. 
• Adjust the spice level according to your needs. I have used both green and red chili in this recipe. You could skip one of them, if you want a mild curry.

Ingredients:
Dandelion greens: About 3 cups, chopped fine, refer notes
Green gram | Hara moong | Hesru kalu : 1/4 cup
Toor dal | Split pigeon peas: 1/4 cup
Green chili: 2 nos
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt: As needed
Water: As needed

For the spice paste:
Oil: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Gram dal | Channa dal | Kadle bele: 1 tsp
Urad dal: 1 tsp
Coriander seeds: 2 t+sp
Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
Garlic: 1 clove, optional
Dry red chili: 2 or 3 nos, non spicy variety
Tamarind: grape sized or 1 tsp, thick extract
Grated coconut: 1/4 cup, fresh or frozen

For the tempering:
Coconut oil: 1 tsp, or any other cooking oil of your choice
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn

Method:
Wash the dandelion greens thoroughly under running water and chop them fine. You can use the stem of the greens too. No need to discard them.
Wash the green gram and toor dal too. Add the lentils to the chopped greens.

Add the whole green chili, turmeric powder and water to the greens and pressure cook the greens mixture for 3 to 4 whistles.

If you do not have a pressure cooker, I suggest soaking the lentils for 30 mins to 1 hour and then cook it in a sauce pan along with the greens. We want the lentils to be overcooked..kind of mushy.
Meantime, let's work on the spice paste. Heat oil in a small wok.
When oil is hot, reduce the heat to low-medium. Add the cumin seeds, channa dal and urad dal. Roast these for couple of minutes.

Then add the coriander seeds, roast again for a minute.

Add the cinnamon stick and garlic. Repeat sauteing and roasting for another minute.

Add the broken red chili and roast again until the chili becomes crispy.
Turn off the heat and add the tamarind.

Allow the spices to cool down. Once they are cool enough to handle add these to a blender.
Add the grated coconut along with the spices and blend it to a smooth paste. You can add some water to make a smooth paste.
Transfer the cooked lentils and greens to a sauce pan. Remove the green chili from the cooked greens and mash it gently. To the mashed greens, add the spice paste and salt.

Adjust the consistency of the curry by adding water. Boil everything together for 5-7 mins.
Prepare the tempering. Heat oil in a small wok, when oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. When seeds splatter, add the curry leaves and turn off the heat.
Pour this tempering over the sambar/curry and enjoy it hot.

Raw Jack fruit dosa | Gujje Dose | Halasinakayi dose | Sunshine Dosa | Kathal Dosa : Gluten free jack fruit crepes

Raw jack fruit dosa needs no fermentation and can be made in a jiffy. It's gluten free and vegan. You need jack fruits that is raw and firm. Please do not use tender jack fruit (baby jack fruit) to make this. Please refer to CookwithSmile blog. She has put tender jack fruit pictures.  We are using fully grown jack fruit that is yet to ripen. Look at the picture below.

The aroma of this dosa makes you want to eat more. The subtle flavor of jack fruit makes you salivate. Don't believe.., just make it once. You'll hunt for raw jack fruit to make them again and again.

We call it Sunshine Dosa at home because of the vibrant yellow color.

Here goes the recipe:

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: About a minute for each dosa
Serves: 4 adults (Makes about 18 to 20 dosas)


Ingredients:
2 cups raw rice (normal sona masoori/ponni would do)
4 cups raw jackfruit (remove the seeds & cut into small pieces)
1 tbsp fresh/frozen grated coconut, optional
salt according to taste.

Additional ingredients:
Few drops of coconut oil/cooking oil for each dosa.

Method:

• Soak the rice for at least 5 hours.

• De seed the jack fruit and chop them into small pieces.

• Grind the rice along with the jackfruit, coconut & make smooth paste out of it. The batter should be just like any other normal dosa batter.

• Add salt according to taste & start preparing the dosas immediately. (No fermentation required) Refer to the video below.  

• Serve the dosa with honey, chutney or any dip of your choice. Tender jack fruit sambar/koddel goes very well with this dosa.

PS: This is one of my revisited posts. 

Strawberry Sasive | Strawberries in coconut-mustard sauce

 Life is taking unexpected turns from the last few months or so. I'm still coming to terms with it. We are having not so good days and hoping that the ray of light is not far away. All I can say is, God is helping us and he will definitely be with us.

Hopefully, I will start blogging frequently from now on. We went strawberry picking and got a whole basket of strawberries home. So, I started experimenting and made lots of new recipes using strawberries. I'll try to post all of them. 

One of the first recipes that I tried was this strawberry sasive, I loved it thoroughly. 

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 5-7 mins

Serves:4-6

Ingredients:

Strawberries:6-8 nos, refer notes

Salt: As needed

Water: About 1/4 cup

Whisked yogurt: 1/4 cup
Jaggery: 2 tsp, optional

For coconut-mustard paste:

Fresh or frozen coconut: 1/4 cup, grated

Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp

Green chili: 2 nos, according to taste

Water: As needed

For tempering/oggarane:
Cooking Oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves: 3-5 nos, torn
Red chili: 1 no, broken (optional)

Method:
Wash the strawberries thoroughly and roughly chop them.
Add about 1/4 cup of water, salt, jaggery to the chopped strawberries and bring it to a boil.

Strawberries get cooked pretty fast. In less than 5 minutes, strawberries will be done.
Allow the strawberries to cool.
Make a fine paste of the items mentioned under the coconut paste. Add very little water. You could use the water used for boiling the strawberries.

Add the cooked strawberries to the coconut paste and crush it coarsely.
Scoop out the mixture to a bowl. Add the whisked yogurt. Mix well.

Prepare the tempering. Add oil in a small pan. When oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. When mustard seeds crackle, add the cumin seeds. When cumin seeds turn golden brown, add the curry leaves and red chili. Remove from the heat and pour it over the saasive prepared. Mix well and serve with steamed rice.

Notes:
Do not use very sour strawberries. Try to use sweeter ones. If the strawberries are very sour, try using 3 or 4 only. 

No grind Idli Recipe | Vegan and Gluten Free Idli Recipe | Idli Recipe using Urad dal Flour : Beginner Series

Idli is a South Indian breakfast/tiffin recipe that is mostly gluten free and vegan. Idli is made with fermented lentils and rice mixture. However for instant idlis or no grind idli, we add yogurt to skip the fermentation process. Addition of baking soda, fruit salt or citric acid crystals are common too.

I'm having a tough time cooking these days and always avoid soaking, and grinding of the urad dal. So, I came up with this idli recipe. It does need fermentation but I did avoid yogurt and all other rising agents like baking soda, fruit salt etc.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins, for each batch
Fermentation Time: 8-10 hours
Makes about 15-18 idlis

Ingredients:
Urad dal flour: 1 cup, store bought
Idli Rawa : 1.5 cups, store bought
Fenugreek powder: 1 tsp
Water: About 2 cups, more or less
Salt: As needed

Method:
Add about 2 cups of water to the urad dal flour and whisk well. You can use a hand blender or whisk to make the batter airy and frothy.

Add the idli rawa and fenugreek powder to the whisked urad dal batter. Fold in. You should not whisk now. Just mix it. Add water, if needed. The batter should be like a thick milkshake/smoothie consistency.

Keep the batter in a warm place overnight or for a minimum of 8-10 hours (this depends on the outside temperature too).

Before making the idlis, add salt and mix.
Grease the idli moulds and scoop out about 1.5 tbsp of batter to each mould.

Steam the idlis for about 15 mins.
Allow it cool for 5 mins. Once the steamer is cool enough to handle, remove the moulds and scoop out the steamed idli using a spoon or blunt knife.

Serve the idli hot with a side dish/dip of your choice.

Some side dishes that go well with idli are given below.
Hotel Sambar
Ginger coconut chutney
Red chili chutney
Flax seeds and garlic dry chutney
Peanut Mint Chutney

Notes:
Please refer here for all the tips and tricks to make idli.