Bansi Rava Bath | Indian Sweets

Sometimes I end up thinking I shouldn't follow something just for the heck of it. Well it's been a long year to come to that state of mind. When same day last year, made me think that I ought to follow a tradition because I am so used to it, made me think otherwise. It's been a long year, but a year that will forever remind fresh in mind because of the many incidents that happened.

Come to think of it, I remember each year with the major events that took place. Guess all of us do that. But some years don't feature much in mind because nothing significant happened. The year that passed was most memorable in ways I can't get to explain well. You loose some friends, you gain some. The sadness that grips when you think of those times, makes it worse. Life goes on...

I cherish the friends I got back. I met my friends from school. What more can one ask than meeting those people with whom you spent your teen years. Those wonderful moments of innocence itched on mind, gets you feeling so touched. I even got back in touch with my college friend. So it's been pretty good.

Amidst all the confusion that seem to prevail for ever, I finally decided I am not going to make a stuffed paratha. Sometimes not following a tradition makes it all the more fun. Moreover I have exhausted all the ideas I have, well not really but for now I guess. 

Though for now I thought I will share this Sweet made with Bansi Rava. I love the way Bansi Rava tastes when made this way.

Ingredients Needed:

Bansi rava - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 & 1/2 cup
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Water - 3 cups
Cardamon powder

Garnishing : Cashew Nuts, Raisins, Almonds,

Method to Prepare:

Heat a pan with 1 tsp ghee, roast all the nuts. Keep aside.

Add another tsp of ghee, roast the Bansi Rava till it comes out non - sticky. Remove and keep aside

Heat the pan with water, bring to rolling boil. Add Sugar and let it dissolve.

Then add the rava little by little so that lumps are not formed.

Simmer and cover with lid so that Rava cooks well. Add all the garnishing ingredients. Top it with remaining ghee.

Have a great weekend.

Pepper Tamarind Rice, Miriyala Pulihora ~ Weekend Cooking | Step By Step Recipe

Well this was not prepared this weekend, but many weekends ago. Moreover nor is this done on a traditional Monday to talk about the special Weekend Cooking. Still I will just anyway do it..:)

I decided I am going to complete all my drafts before I take up new and latest dishes. Since making this Pepper Tamarind Rice, we have been cooking this alternate weeks for the lunch. I thought it will be interesting to increase my share of Rice varieties. Especially with my love for all Tamarind Rice Varieties. If you are one of those, then I am sure you will enjoy the spicy kick the peppercorns add to the tangy rice.

Pepper Tamarind Rice, Capsicum Channa Dal and Bansi Rava Bath ~ Our Sunday Meal

We had an unforgettable adventure this weekend. We left for a two day trip on a temple visit. I confess that we would need a vacation to recovery from this vacation. Athamma left a day earlier than us. So that ensued that the boys keep asking for her. We somehow made them agree not to throw tantrums when they see her at the temple, ahead of us. Konda is old enough to understand, but with 4 year olds it's an altogether different story. Especially when they got bugged with the "Why" question. They can keep on their Why's non stop without getting tired.

But we had a different problem to handle. The morning we left, Peddu woke up with an ear pain and soon after wards ended up throwing up whatever he ate. We had to rush him to a doctor on the way before continuing our journey. A trip that normally takes about 3 hrs, we managed by 10 hrs with lot of hiatus. What was even more amazing is the fact that within minutes of meeting his Nannama, and his cousins, Peddu was up and running. We have no clue if it was the medicine worked by then or whatever. Miracles happen, you just have to believe it.

We are happy our little boy is fine, and enjoyed the rest of the vacation. We were meeting my second Sil and her family and had a family reunion of sorts.

Coming back to the recipe, I hope you enjoy making this.

Step by Step pictures to make Pepper Tamarind Rice

Extract the tamarind and bring to boil and allow to cook till you get a thick paste.

Mix the seasoning along with turmeric to the cooked rice.

Dry roast and grind the pepper to a fine powder.

Add the tamarind paste to the rice along with pepper powder.

Mix well and adjust salt.

Pepper Tamarind Rice

Ingredients needed:

For the Rice

Cooked rice - 2 cups
Tamarind paste made from a big size of a lemon.

Whole Peppercorns - 1 tsp, fry and ground to powder

For the Seasoning

Oil - 100 ml
Red chillies - 6-7
Bengal Gram - 1 tbsp
Urud Dal - 1 tsp
Ground Nut - 2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt as per taste

Method to prepare:

Soak tamarind in water for 30 mins. Extract thick pulp from it. In a pan cook this extract to a thick paste.

Dry roast the pepper corns and grind it to a powder once it is cool.

Cook rice and spread it over a big bowl. Add oil to make sure the grains are separate.

Take a kadai, heat oil and add Bengal gram, Urud dal, Ground nuts, mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add curry leaves, asafoetida.

Once this seasoning is ready, pour this over the rice along with turmeric powder. Mix well. Add the thick tamarind extract along with pepper powder.

All pulihoras taste great after resting for couple of hours. So it is ideal to mix this in the morning for the lunch.

Have a great week ahead.

Sending this to Satya who is hosting an event calling for all types of twists that you can think while making the traditional Pulihora.

Check out other Rice Varieties

Spicy Egg Masala | Step by Step Recipe

I always think my egg masala never comes out well. I have been eternally in search of a proper Egg Masala that I an dish out. I was finally able to find one but then I decided I wanted it for the book. Well then the search continued and one Sunday I remembered that I had to try a new Egg Masala and I squarely landed in VKN's space. The recipe sounded very spicy as the name. 

So I wanted to try it out and it came out quite well. I changed few things but otherwise it is as how he says it ought to be cooked. I can't say how it tasted as I had to add Eggs to the masala during cooking, though it met everybody's approval.

I made a combo of Ghee Rice and though I wanted to replace the Ghee Rice pictures on the blog, I can't do it right now. So will have to wait for another time to update those old pictures.

I thought I should start clearing away my drafts and wanted to start with the egg recipes. Daddy had suggested so many ideas for new Egg recipes, he says a non veg eat would naturally love eggs. I can't argue on that and promised him that I will experiment with his ideas.

Some of the ideas are really unbelievable, so when I attempt them you will get to read it naturally.

Step by Step pictures to make Egg Masala

Roughly chop onions and green chilies.

Saute them in oil till brown.

Add ginger garlic paste and continue sauteing

Next add the Gram flour, mix well.

Combine everything and simmer for 2 mins.

Then add chopped tomatoes.

Followed by the spice powders.

 Saute everything together.

 Add milk to the pan and lower the flame.

Mix and cook in sim.

 Add enough water to get a thick consistency.

Add finely chopped coriander leaves.

 Add the boiled, slit eggs to the pan and cook with lid covered for 10 mins.

Spicy Egg Masala recipe
Adapted : My Dhaba

Ingredients:

To make the paste

Onions - 2 medium
Green chillies - 3,

For the gravy

Boiled Eggs - 3
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Gram flour - 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - finely chopped 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Water as required to get a gravy consistency

Method to prepare:

Roughly chop the onions and green chilies and blend to a coarse paste.

Heat a pan, add oil mix. After couple of mins, add the onion paste and saute it till golden brown.

Original recipe calls just for ginger but I added ginger garlic paste at this stage.

Once the ginger garlic paste is cooked, Add the gram flour and saute for a minute.

Next follows the red chilli, coriander, turmeric, cumin, and garam masala powders, tomatoes, salt. Simmer with lid covered for 5 mins. When you see the tomatoes well mashed, and oil coming out of sides, add milk. Mix well, then add 1-1/2 cups of  water.

Bring to boil. Then add eggs and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until the sauce reaches the required thick consistency.

Serve it hot with rotis, plain or jeera rice. I served with ghee rice.

Hubby dear enjoyed his meal and was happy in getting served a spicy curry. So check out the spice level before you attempt this recipe.

Rajma Masala Recipe | Lunch Box Series : LBS#59 | Step by Step Recipe

I really didn't want to say this but the days are really running. What with me doing a Marathon run along with some 25 bloggers, I almost seem to forget that I need to do some posting here too. Only the other day I was telling Athamma that I have about 45 recipes in drafts and I have also forgotten some of the recipes. I know that's very stupid of me, but I always think I will remember the recipe when I make it and in the end almost sometimes forget what went in.

Now there are two ways to handle this, either I cook that dish many times for me not to forget or write them down right away. And there are those recipes that either Athamma or Amma share with me. I will make it and prepare the dish, click the pictures and forget the recipe right away, hoping they will remember. Well looks like even they forget what with the many recipes that we try in a week's time. 

I know I am blogging back my Lunch Box Series after a long time. I feel sad that I no longer take the opportunity to share my lunch box. But with hubby dear packing his box again, here you go! But do excuse the shabby final picture I was naturally in a hurry!

So this recipe that I attempted from my files came out so well. I always remember the Rajma Masala that my friend's mom used to make and was never able to recreate at home. But this one came somewhat closest. Best part was my kids enjoyed this very much.

Step by Step pictures to make Rajma Masala

Have the masala, onion paste, tomato paste ready.

In a non stick pan, saute broken coriander seeds and cumin seeds.

Then saute onion paste, followed by ginger garlic paste.

Next goes the tomato paste.

Meanwhile mix the spice powders with water.

Soak the Rajma overnight but depending on your lentil it has be increased.

Pressure cook well and mash a spoon of lentils to thicken the gravy.

Add that to the pan

Continue cooking in sim till you see the mix well cooked.

Then add required amount of water and bring to boil. Then simmer for 10 mins for the gravy to thicken.

Rajma Masala Recipe

Ingredients Needed:

For cooking Rajma

Rajma - 1 cup
Red chili - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp

For Masala:

Broken Coriander Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Onion paste - 2 medium
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Tomato paste - 2 medium
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Amchur powder - 3 pinches
Kitchen King Masala - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder a pinch
Salt to taste (remember to check and adjust)
Oil - 2 tsp
Coriander leaves, finely chopped - 2 tsp
Methi leaves (opt)

Method to prepare:

Soak Rajma over night. More if the variety you use takes longer time.

Drain away the water and pressure cook the Rajma with salt, 2 drops oil and Chili powder. Cook till it is tender. Keep it aside.

For the masala:

Make a paste of onions, get tomato puree separately. Keep it aside.

In a non stick pan, heat oil add cumin seeds, broken coriander seeds.

Once the cumin starts spluttering, add onion paste, then ginger garlic paste. Brown it well.

When onion paste has turned brown add finely chopped tomato. I normally add salt at this stage and cook it covered to aid the tomatoes to cook faster.

Saute till tomatoes are cooked and the oil starts coming out of the sides.

In a small cup take all the spice masalas - garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, kitchen king masala, amchur, coriander powder, cumin powder, add little water and make a paste.

Then add this paste to the tomato mixture. Continue cooking.

Add a ladle of cooked rajma and mash into the gravy. Cook for couple of minutes and then pour the remaining Rajma along with the water to this masala.

Keep it on simmer for at least half an hour, stirring from time to time. Top with chopped dhaniya and Dried Fenugreek leaves..

Serve with Plain Rice or Chapatis.

Notes:
The Rajma I used took long time to get cooked. In fact we soaked it the previous afternoon. Kept changing the water.

Never use the water in which the lentil is soaked.

Since you are adding the cooked rajma to the gravy to make it thick, ensure it is cooked well.

The masala list seem more but it is worth all the trouble. Moreover all these masalas can be kept in freezer for longer shelf life.

I was very surprised how much the kids liked it. They had it with rice and wanted it again for dinner. While I had made Chapatis for our lunch. This went very well with both.

Microwave Mixed Vegetable Kurma | Step by Step Recipe

After being in the drafts for many months this wonderful Microwave Mixed Vegetable Kurma gets published. Making a kurma in a microwave sound easy and quick to get done. Doing the 7 Day Blogging Marathon with 25 other bloggers is one exciting thing. But as always I plunged in without any preparation and have to cook them and post. Yes that fact it becomes all very hectic is another thing. Microwave Easy Cooking Event has come for a second round of gravy dishes.

Announcing the MEC based on Curries and Gravies, I ought to post microwave gravies right. So here I am with a dish that gets cooked quite well in Microwave. If you see I haven't updated my 365 days of Microwave Cooking with more of such dishes but will surely do them soon.

Step by Step to make the Kurma in Microwave.

Have the vegetables all washed, chopped into small pieces, keep them ready.

Potato gets microwaved for 7 mins, while coconut paste is ground and ready.

In a microwave bowl, take the oil and whole spices. Micro for 1 min.

Then add julienne onions, green chilies and microwave for 1 min.

Next goes the ginger garlic paste. Microwave for 1 min again.

Followed by tomatoes. You can microwave both for 2 mins.

 See how mushy the tomatoes look.

Using the ladle mix well.

Then add the vegetables.

Mix well and add Red Chili powder.

Saute everything and micro for 1 min.

Add the coconut paste (ground with fennel seeds)

Saute and cook again for 2 mins.

Pour water as required to get a consistency and for the vegetables to get cooked.

Microwave for 10 mins before removing it.

Microwave Mixed Vegetable Kurma

Ingredients Needed:

Onions - 2 medium
Tomatoes - 2 medium
Green chilies - 2 long
Mixed vegetables - 1 & 1/2 cups (Carrot, Beans, Cauliflower, Potatoes, peas)
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Coconut paste - 1 cup
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Water as required

Whole spices:

Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 2"
Cardamon - 2


Method to prepare:

Microwave potatoes for 7 mins by making marks over it

Grind coconut along with fennel seeds to a smooth paste

Chop all vegetables and keep it aside

In a microwave safe bowl, take the oil along with the whole spices. Microwave for 1 min.

then goes the onions with green chilies. Micro again for a minute.

Next add the ginger garlic paste and micro for 1 min, followed by chopped tomatoes. Micro for 2 mins.

When it is soft and mushy, mash with the ladle.

Then add all the vegetables. stir well. Add the coconut paste and mix well. Micro for 2 mins.

Add water as required and micro for 10 mins.

Remove and garnish with coriander leaves.

This goes for my MEC Themed on Curries and Gravies, be sure to send in your entry!