Simple vegetatrian, Daily-cooking, Comfort food, with regular utensils and real time pictures.
This blog will help the beginners learn and give them the confidence to cook edible food without too much fuss.
Sakannam is nothing but Vegetable Rice prepared using homemade spice powder. It has no onion and no garlic, since we offer it as prasad during the Dussera Navratri season.
Ingredients:
Rice- 2 cups
Water- 4 1/2 cups
Carrot- 2, peeled and cut into 2 inch peices
Potato- 1 big, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
Beans- 4-6 cut into 2 inch pieces
Ginger- 3 inch piece, crushed
Salt- 2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves- as small handful, roughly chopped
For Tempering:
Oil- 3-5 tbsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp (Jeera)
Cashews- 8-10
Green chilies- 3-4 slit vertically
For Spice powder:
Chana dal- 1 1/2 tbsp
Urad dal- 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Coriander seeds- 1 tbsp
Cloves- 4
Cinnamon- 1 inch stick
Dry coconut- 2 inch piece
Dry red chilies- 2 broken into pieces
(Dry roast the above ingredients and grind to powder.)
Method:
Wash and cook the rice in a cooker for 3-4 whistles. The normal ratio of rice is water is 1:2, but it can be adjusted as per choice.
Meanwhile dry roast the spice powder ingredients and let them cool. Now grind into powder.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. As the mustard splatters add cashews and roast till golden.
Now add the green chilies.
Stir once and add the vegetables. Add 1/2 cup water and cover with lid to cook the vegetables faster.
After 3 minutes add the crushed ginger and mix again.
As the vegetables soften add the spice powder, salt, turmeric powder and mix well.
After 2-3 minutes add the cooked rice and mix properly.
Sprinkle some water if required. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes in simmer.
Add the chopped coriander leaves and turn off the heat.
Cover with lid and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
Serve hot with onion free raita.
Notes:
I used the vegetables I had available.
You can add, green peas, cauliflower, eggplant, cabbage, etc as well if you prefer.
Unless you like the rice red, try not to add beetroot.
Soak urad dal for 2 hrs and wash twice. Drain the water and grind in a wet-grinder till it becomes a coarse paste. Watch the video for detailed instructions.
Method:
Try to immediately prepare the vada once the batter is ready. The batter can be kept in the refrigerator but it may absorb more oil when fried.
Add salt immediately to the batter and mix well.
This is to prevent the batter from turning bitter.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan till it starts to smoke.
Meanwhile add cumin seeds to the batter and mix well.
Keep water in a small bowl to wet hands.
Take some batter in the hand and spread it on a plastic sheet. It has to be quarter inch thick and 3 inches round.
Now carefully try and invert the shaped batter on to your fingers and gently release it into he hot oil.
Be very careful not to throw it in or the oil will splatter.
Gently turn the vada around and cook for 2-3 minutes.
As the color changes to golden, remove form oil and transfer on to tissues to let it absorb excess oil.
Serve after it cools down to room temperature. Can be eaten hot as well.
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the pulp and take it into another bowl. Add water to the tamarind and mash again for second extract. You can do that three times in total.
Method:
Get the tamarind pulp ready and start with the tempering.
Heat oil in a copper-bottom pan and add peanuts. Next add the chana dal, urad dal.
Now add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds. And then the dry red chilies.
As the mustard splatters, add asafoetida, green chilies, curry leaves. As the chilies soften, pour in the tamarind pulp and mix.
Keep the heat on medium and let it come to a boil. That will take about 5-7 minutes.
Add salt, turmeric powder, jaggery and mix.
Meanwhile dry roast the coriander seeds and as they change color add the sesame seeds. The sesame seeds will start to splatter, turnoff the heat.
Let it cool down and then grind to a powder. Add this powder to the cooking tamarind and mix.
Let the mixture cook till it reduces into a thick paste and and the oil floats on top. That will take about 12-15 minutes. Reduce the heat to simmer as it starts to thicken. This will prevent burning.
Once the mixture is ready, turn off the heat and let it cool.
Meanwhile cool the cooked rice to room temperature.
Add this pulp to the rice gradually and mix well using hand. This will help us separate the lumps of rice easily. Add more pulp as you continue mixing.
Add salt and turmeric powder, if required.
Let it sit for an hour or so before serving,
It tastes best when served after 3-4 hours.
Notes:
The cooked tamarind pulp can be stored in an air tight box in the refrigerator after cooling down. It will last up to a week or 15 days.
The tamarind pulp can be cooked without the tempering. (Only tamarind, salt, turmeric powder and jaggery) This pulp will stay up to two months in the refrigerator.
The cooked rice need to be at room temperature because we usually keep this for long hours and so it should not start to spoil.
You can prepare tamarind rice at night and pack for travel the next day.
Dry roast the moong dal for 2 minutes and wash twice along with rice.
Heat oil and 2 tbsp ghee in a nonstick pan and add cashews, peppercorns. As the cashews turn golden, add cumin seeds.
Next add green chilies, curry leaves, asafoetida.
Now add the washed rice, moong dal, and roast for 1 minute.
Pour in the 2 cups of water and let it come to boil.
Now add salt and mix well.
Cover with lid, make sure there is some gap for the steam to get released.
Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, till the rice gets cooked 90 %.
Keep an eye on it to prevent it from spilling over.
Then remove the lid, add 2-3 tbsp of ghee and mix gently. Be careful not to break the grains.
Leave it to cook till the remaining water is evaporated.
Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Serve hot with ghee and a pickle of your choice.
Notes:
The katte pongal can be cooked in a pressure cooker as well. Just use the cooker instead of a nonstick pan.
Cook for 3 whistles and turn off the heat. Once the steam goes off remove the lid, add ghee and mix. If you find any water cook in simmer without the lid for 3-5 minutes. Else, serve after 5 minutes.
The banana stem needs to be carefully cut into rounds and then chopped into pieces. Please watch the video for the exact procedure.
You can use a knife if comfortable. Make sure to keep the pieces in water as they tend to turn brown very fast.
Change the water and cook for 7-12 minutes. Cut one piece with a knife to see if it is cooked. Some take longer time while others cook fast.
Keep the remaining water as it is and let it cool.
Do not worry if the pieces turn out to be in dark brown color. It is perfectly normal. Add a little salt while cooking.
Once the cooked pieces have cooled, add salt and turmeric powder.
Beat yogurt into a smooth mixture and add to it.
Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies and asafoetida. As the mustard splatters turn off the heat and add this tempering to the yogurt mixture.
Mix well and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Serve with rice or roti.
Wash, peel the mango and grate it. You can also roughly cut it into pieces and grind it.
Heat oil in a pan and add peanuts, chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds.
Next add dry red chilies and asafoetida.
As the mustard splatters, add green chilies and curry leaves. Now add the grated mango and mix.
To this add salt and turmeric powder.
Saute for 2 minutes and add the leftover rice. Mix well.
Let it heat up for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve.
Notes:
This can be prepared in large quantity with freshly cooked rice as well. In that case just add the grated mango to the hot rice and mix it. Let it sit for 5 minutes and add the tempering and mix.
Let the pulihora sit for an hour or so before serving and it will taste better.
You ca prepare this for lunch boxes and outings or potlucks.
Akakarkaya- 250 gms (Kakora in Hindi) (Teasel Gourd in English)
Salt- 1 tbsp
Red chili powder- 1 tbsp
Turmeic powder- 1/4 tsp
Tamarind- a small handful, soak in 1/4 cup water
Jaggery- 2-3 inch piece
Water- 1/4 cup (if required)
For Grinding:
Urad dal- 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds- 1 tbsp
Sesame seeds- 1 tbsp (til)
Fenigreek seeds- 1 tsp (methi)
For Tempering:
Oil- 3-5 tbsp
Chana dal- 1 tbsp
Urad dal- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/4tsp
Dry red chilies- 2-3 broken into pieces
Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp
Method:
Wash the Akakarkaya and cut into small pieces by removing the seeds which are similar to the bitter gourd seeds but smaller and round in shape.
Add oil to a heavy bottom pan and prepare tempering. As the mustard seeds splatter, add the akakarkaya pieces and mix once.
Cover with lid and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
You can either cook it completely in oil or add water.
(If adding water it will stay good for up to 3 days in refrigerator.)
Add water and cook till tender with the lid on. This will take same time so stir occasionally.
Meanwhile dry roast the grinding ingredients in a smaller pan. Keep the heat in simmer.
First add urad dal and roast for 1 minute. Then add the coriander seeds, followed by fenugreek seeds.
Once these start to change color, add sesame seeds. They will start to splatter a d then, turn off the heat. Let it cool and grind to a powder.
Now squeeze the pulp out of tamarind and keep the water ready.
Check to see if the akakarkaya pieces are cooked and pour in this tamarind water.
Mix and let it cook for 3-4 minutes without the lid.
Next add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, jaggery and mix well.
Add little water if required. Now add the powder and mix well.
Let it cook for about 3-5 minutes in simmer.
Once the mix starts to come together and begins to stick to the sides of the pan, turn off the heat.
Let it cool and serve with rice or roti.
Notes:
It can be prepared without adding water as well. In that case we had to add more oil. That will stay good for a week to 10 days. But remember to double the quantity of oil.
