Onion Fried Rice

This Rice recipe is one that i prepare whenever i am lazy and not in a mood to spend much time in my kitchen.It goes very well with  scrambled egg as a side .This recipe does not need any advance preperation too.Does it sound it may be handy to you at any time?Well,try it out and i'm sure you will love this.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice               1  Cup 

Water                          1 1/2  Cup

Onion                          1 medium

Green chillies                4-5,finely chopped

Ghee                           1-2 tbsp

Mustard Seeds           1 tsp

Turmeric powder         1 tsp

Salt                             per taste

Coriander  Leaves       for garnishing 

Method:

Cook Basmati Rice by adding two drops of oil to the water .In a pan add oil and once its hot add mustard seeds.Let them splutter.Now add finely chopped onions and fry for 2 min.Add chopped green chillies.Fry the onions until they turn golden brown in color .Add 1 tsp of turmeric powder and fry until the raw smell goes away.Now add the cooked Basmati Rice and mix well with a fork ,taking care not to smash the rice.Add salt as per your taste.Finally drizzle in 1 to 2 tbsp of ghee and mix well....I'm sure your kitchen smells aromatic......:)

       Serve and Garnish with Coriander leaves......enjoy.......:)

Note:

• While cooking Basmati Rice if you add oil drops ,the rice doesn't stick.
• You can add salt even into the water before cooking the rice  instead of adding at the end.
• Drizzling Ghee adds more flavor to the rice.
• This goes very well with scrambled egg.

Mango Rice Noodles

Rice Noodles are noodles made from rice.Their main ingredient is rice ,other ingredient  they have is cornstarch which helps in giving the noodles a chewy and gelatinous texture.Rice noodles with Mango is a kind of pulihora which is tasty to eat and easily digestable .

Ingredients:

Rice noodles            1/2 pack
Raw Mango           1 whole ,grated
Water                     to boil
Salt                         per taste
tumeric  powder      1 tsp

For tempering:

Chana dal               1 tbsp (soaked in water)
Red chillies             3-5
Mustard seeds         1 tsp
Curry leaves            1 sprig
Peanuts                   half hand full

Method:


Bring Water in a large pot with salt added ,to boil.Drop in the noodles .Cook for  one minute not more than two.

As soon as the water comes back to boil ,remove the noodles.Check for doneness-they should be soft and pliant without being mushy.

Place a wide pan on stove ,once it turns hot add oil .Then add mustard seeds ,soaked chana dal  ,red chillies,curry leaves ,peanuts and fry for few minutes .Now add the grated mango and mix well and cook the mango till it becomes soft and is done.Add turmeric powder and mix well till the raw aroma of turmeric goes .Now add in the boiled noodles and mix well until the mixture gets coated and mixed up altogether.Fry for a while and remove .Check for salt and add if needed.

Note:

• If you attempt to boil the noodles to the proper texture,it is likely that you may overcook,as rice noodles can go from perfection to mushy in a minute.So drain the boiled noodles under cool water to remove the extra starch and keeps the noodles from being gummy.
• If the raw mango is not sour enough you can even add a little bit of lemon juice to get the tangy taste.

Grilled Chicken Salad

Grilled Chicken is a healthy alternative of cooking Chicken without oil.When you top this with green leafy vegetables and fruits it becomes more healthier.My daughter likes just the Chicken minus the leaves.....:)

Having this salad once in a while is worth trying it out.

Ingredients:

Grilled Chicken:

Chicken Breast            1 halved

Onion Powder             2 tbsp

Garlic Powder              1 tbsp

Salt                               per taste

Salad:

Organic Baby Spinach      1 box

Lettuce                             1

Green Apple                     1 cubed

Italian dressing                  per taste

Method:

 Wash Chicken breast well and pat it dry.Place the breast in a ziploc bag and seal the bag halfway through.Using  a mallet or a meat Pounder ,Pound the breast so that it gets a bit flat evenly all over.

Remove the chicken breast and place it on a plate.In a small bowl,mix all the powders very well.

Slit the chicken breast using a knife and  rub the powdered mixture onto the breast and also into the slits .

Let it rest aside for 5 to 10 mins.In the meanwhile Preheat indoor grill at 350 degrees for 5 min.

when the grill is heated,spray non stick Olive oil onto the plates .Place the Chicken Breast and grill for 10 to 12 min .

Remove the Grilled chicken and transfer it onto a cutting board and cut into small bite sized cubes.

Wash  the baby spinach leaves and place them in a serving bowl add some freshly chopped lettuce ,add grilled chicken cubes,some green apple cubes and toss well .Drizzle up with  Italian dressing mix well and enjoy.

Note:

• If you do not have an indoor grill you can spray a non stick griddle with oil and cook the chicken breast till the pink color of the meat is all gone and it turns white inside.
• An indication to check if the breast is cooked well ,the water running out from the meat should be clear.

Garelu (Vada)

Garelu or vada is a deep fried lentil based Doughnut or a regular deep fried  dal mixture.This is  basically a typical south Indian breakfast.Whenever I make these at home we consume them just like that ,cause of  their crispyness .You can serve them with any chutney of your choice.The best part of Vadas is there is no need of fermenting so we can prepare them the same day........except for the oil used to fry them.....:(

Ingredients:

Urad dal                   1 cup
Water                        To soak
Onion                        1small   finely chopped
Curry leaves              1 sprig  roughly chopped
Coriander Leaves      few finely chopped
Green chillies             2 -3  finely chopped(optional)


Method:

Soak Urad dal in enough water for 3 to 4 hours or over night.Grind the dal with salt as per  taste into a fine paste by adding very little water at a time.The paste should not be very watery.

Heat oil in a kadai.As the oil gets hot on medium heat,at this point you can use the paste as itself or add finely chopped onions,curry leaves,coriander leaves  and green chillies(optinal)  and mix well .Now take a small ball of the paste in the palm of  your hands and flatten it evenly and make a hole in the centre  with your finger and drop it slowly into oil and  fry it  on medium heat.

Initially the vadas reach the bottom of the pan but rise up to the surface in few minutes.Fry Until the vadas turn out Golden brown and crisp.Remove from the oil and place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil.Serve them as it is or with any chutney of your choice or Tomato Ketchup.

Note:

• When you mix the paste with onions,curry leaves and coriander it is better to use a fork and mix well for airation in the paste,so that the vadas turn out crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
• The oil should be perfectly hot and ready.We can check this by adding a small ball of the paste into the oil and see that it rises to the surface.
• Do not use lot of water  to make the paste as the vada will not be able to regain its shape when dropped in the oil.
• You can also add finely chopped Ginger in the paste .I generally don't prefer for my kids sake....:)

HomeMade White Bread

This is My first experience on baking bread .........it turned out really well ...:)I however felt that it was little more dense.I prepared this bread using My Kitchen aid Professional stand Mixer.

There were certain flaws in the appearance though but i guess for a first time it is perfect.

I was so carried away by preparing this bread that i forgot to take step by step pictures.Hope to click them next time.....:)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup                    Low fat milk
1 tsp                        Active dry yeast
3/4 cup                    Warm water
21/2-31/2 cups        Bread Flour
11/2 tbsp                 Sugar
1 tsp                        Salt
1 1/2 tbsp                Butter or margarine

Method:


Place Milk,Sugar,salt and butter in a small saucepan  on low heat.Heat until the butter melts and sugar dissolves.Cool this to luke warm.
   Dissolve yeast in warm water.Add lukewarm milk mixture and yeast mixture and 2 cups of bread flour in mixer bowl.Attach Bowl and spiral dough hook to the mixer.Turn the mixer to speed 2 and mix for about 1 min.
 Continuing on Speed 2 ,add remaining flour,1/4 c at a time and mix about 1 1/2 minutes,or until the dough starts to clean sides of the bowl.Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer,or until dough is smooth  and elastic.At this stage dough will be slightly sticky to touch.
   Place the dough in a greased bowl ,and turn the dough to grease the top.Cover it and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour or until  double in volume.
   Punch the dough down.On a lightly floured surface,roll the dough into a rectangle.This rolling will smooth out the dough and remove gas bubbles.
   Starting at the shorter end ,roll the dough tightly.Pinch the dough to seal seam,and turn under.Place seam side down in the loaf pan.let it rise for another hour or until double in volume.
  Pre heat oven to 400 degrees F.Bake the dough at 400 degree F for 30 min.,or until golden brown crust.Remove from the loaf pan and cool on wire racks.

    

 Note:

• While the bread is cooling ,brush the top with little melted butter for extra flavor and taste.

Phulka

This is a basic recipe in our everyday lives.It is a simpler version of Chapathi without oil.We can make wraps for kids out of this with butter and veggies/Non-veg sprinkled with cheese.I am sure kids will love this.My daughter does  :)  So,hope you will enjoy making this.

 Ingredients:

Wheat Flour -    1 cup

salt               -   1/2 tsp

oil                 -   few drops

Water           -    As Needed

Method:

Take flour in a wide bowl and add salt and mix well.Now take water and keep adding it to the flour mixture and knead the dough with your hands till it forms into a soft dough.Add few drops of oil and mix it well into the dough.keep the dough aside and let it rest for 10 mins.

               Now make small lemon sized balls with the dough .Roll the balls  out thin to approximately 5 inches in diameter. while rolling out , tossing the dough in dry flour  will prevent it from getting sticky.

                    Heat a griddle on the stove and as it gets hot place the phulka on it and cook for few mins on either sides .

When it starts to bubble out  transfer the phulka onto direct  medium flame so that it puffs up into a balloon.

Remove from flame .and serve hot with any curry of your choice.

 Kids Version:

For kids version ,instead of taking it onto direct flame , fry the phulka one side on griddle, flip it over,reduce the flame and apply lil butter and spread cooked shredded chicken or cooked veggies and sprinkle some mixed shredded cheese or mozzarella cheese and let it cook and roll into a wrap.We should take care that the phulka doesn't become hard.These wraps can be enjoyed by kids and adults for lunch or snack :).

Note:

• Phulkas  puff out like balloon only if they are rolled out really thin in thickness.If they are rolled out       thick    they are heavy and not good enough to puff up.
• Phulkas made like this stay soft for a longer time no matter even if you reheat them in a microwave later.
  
  
  

Apple Apricot Crumble

Crumble or crisp is a dessert  consisting of baked fruits with crisp topping.This can be made with any seasonal fruits available.If you do not like just baked fruits.......try this and i'm sure you will love it.The crunchy texture adds more taste to this recipe .

Ingredients:

Fruit  base:
Apple                           1   peeled and cubed 
Dried apricots             1 cup chopped
sugar                            1/4 cup

Crumble:
Flour                          1/2 cup
Quick cook Oats      1/2 cup
unsalted butter          1 stick
Light brown sugar     1/2 cup   ,packed
salt                              pinch

Method:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F,keeping the oven rack in the center of the oven.Take a 6 inch round non stick baking pan and spray oil and set aside.
          In a medium bowl combine the cubed apples and chopped apricots with sugar and mix well and set aside till the juices ooze out.
  In the mean while ,in a food processor combine the flour,oats,Butter,sugar and salt and pulse for few times so that the mixture resembles a crumb like texture.
    Place the fruit mixture at the bottom of the pan and spoon out the crumb mixture over it.Place the pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 min or till the butter  is melted and the oats are cooked to a brown glossy appearance.Cool for 10 mins and serve and enjoy.

Note:

• This can also be made and  served for individual portions in ramekins.
• Dollop a scoop of Icecream over it and kids will enjoy.
• Dried fruits like Pecans and almonds can also be added to the crumb for extra crunch.