Dosa Milaga Podi

Ingredients

White Til (Sesame Seeds) - 100gms, dry roast and grind to fine powder
Dry Red Chillies - 30 - 40 chillies (depending on your spice factor)
Urad Dal - 1 Cup
Channa Dal - 1 Cup
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp (or a small piece if using asafoetida block)
Jaggery - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil to fry - 1 tbsp

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan and fry the red chillies until it becomes Red. 
2. Remove Chillies and let it cool. 
3. If using asafoetida block, then fry it in oil and keep separately. 
4. In the same oil fry the Urad dal and channa dal till it becomes golden brown. Remove and allow it to cool.
5. Grind the red chillies first, then add the dal, asafoetida with jaggery and salt and grind together to a coarse powder.
6. In a big pan, mix the White til with the dal mixture and mix well until the entire powder blends well. 
7.Store in a dry container.

Kara Adai & Sweet Adai

Kara Adai

Ingredients: Rice flour - 1 cup, Black-eyed pea-1/4 cup (karamani), Coconut (grated), Curry leaves.

1.  Heat oil in kadai. Add mustard seeds, broken urad dhal, curry leaves, black eyed peas.
2. When it splutters, add water (add 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice flour) and salt.
3. Add rice flour. Mix them all together.
4. Close the lid and allow it to cook.
5. Switch off the flame and allow it to cool.
6. Make adais and keep it in steam.


Sweet Adai

Ingredients: Rice flour - 1 cup, Black-eyed pea-1/4 cup (karamani), Coconut (chopped), Jaggery - 1 cup

1. Take jaggery, karamani, chopped coconuts with 2.5 cups of water in a vessel. Add ghee and pinch of salt to taste.
2. Allow it to boil and then add the rice flour.
3. Keep the flame low and wait for the rice flour to get cooked by stirring continuously. Continuous stirring is required to avoid lumps.
4. Once cooked, allow it to cool and make adais.
5. Keep the adais in steam for 5-10 mins

Dhokla

This adapted breakfast recipe takes just about 5 mins of work while the microwave does the rest. Anytime when I am in a hurry and/or need a filling breakfast, this really works!!!

Ingredients: Rava, Curd, Ginger(Grated), Green Chilli (1 piece, Chopped), Eno(1pkt), Onion (1, Chopped), Carrot Optional (1, grated)

Serves: 4

1. Mix 1 cup of curd, and 1 cup of rava and 1 cup of water.
2. Add onion, ginger and chilli and mix well. If you have time, you add grated carrot also to the Dhokla.
3. Add a pinch of turmeric powder, 1 spoon sugar and salt to taste and let it remain for 5-10 mins.
4. Add Eno and pour immediately in a microwave dish and cook for 10 mins on conventional mode at high temperature. If you do not have a microwave, pour in a plate and steam in a pressure cooker for ten mins similar to idli.
5. Remove from microwave and add oil, mustard and jeera tempering
6. Cut into square pieces, garnish with coriander and serve with ketchup or green chutney.

Alternatively you can also replace besan with rava for the Dhokla.

Andhra Style Coconut Rice

Cooking time - 30 minutes
Serves - 3 to 4

Ingredients

Raw Rice - 2 cups
Coconut Milk - 3 cups
Water - 1 cup
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 1/2 tsps (or you can use 6 - 8 cloves of garlic)
Green Chillies - 4, slit lenth-wise
Onion - 1 big
Cardamoms - 3 to 4
Cinnamon - 1 small stick
Bayleaf - 1
Cloves - 4 medium or 5 small
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt t o taste
Ghee - 1/2 tbsp
Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method

1. Heat ghee and oil in a pressure cooker.
2. Add the Cinnamon, Cardamoms, Bayleaf and cloves. Fry for a minute.
3. Add the onions and fry until it turns pink.
4. Mix the ginger garlic paste and turmeric powder. Saute in medium heat until for 5 minutes.
5. Add the raw rice and fry for a minute.
6. Put in the coconut milk and water. Add salt,  close the cooker lid and let it blow 3 whistles. 
7. Garnish with coriander leaves before serving. 

This coconut rice can be served with all types of raita, any type of kurma and any spicy curry. 

Cheese Rice

This one is for cheese addicts like me... who are bored at home and don't want to spend hours at the kitchen! This recipe was concocted by me in one of those absolutely boring saturday afternoons! Its a little heavy, so consume smaller quantities of this!

You can add vegetables, oregano, chilli flakes or eggs as per your taste!

Serves - 1 
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• Leftover rice (from the previous hour of the day) - 1 cup
• Milk - Half cup
• Grated Cheese - 1 cube
• Onion - 1 small or 1/2 medium, finely chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Salted butter - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Heat a kadai and melt the butter.
2. Add the onions and fry till its transluscent.
3. Add the milk, salt and pepper.
4. Add rice and let the rice cook in the milk for 5 minutes.
5. Add the cheese an mix until it reaches a creamy state.
6. EAT! :-)

Bread and Paneer Cheese Balls

Ingredients:

• Paneer - 200 gms
• Bread - 10 to 12 slices (You can use any type of bread. White / Brown / Wholewheat, whichever you like)
• Thick Curds - 1/4 cup
• Cheese cubes - 1 or 2
• Green Chillies - 2 to 3 finely chopped
• A piece of ginger, finely chopped or grated
• Coriander leaves, finely chopped (easier way to finely chop coriander is to use scissors instead of knife)
• Corn flour - 2 tbsp
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Oil for frying

Method:

1. Soak the bread slices in curds for 2 minutes
2. Grate Paneer and cheese.
3. Mix the paneer-cheese combo with the bread slices in curd and all other ingredients
4. Knead this mixture well, so that it gets tightly bound.
5. Make small round balls and deep fry in oil.
6. Makes 12 to 15 balls. Serve hot during tea time. 

Stir fried Macaroni

Ingredients:
1. Macaroni 200 gms
2. Cauliflower florets 1 cup
3.  Tomato 1 nos.cut in to small pieces.

4. Spring onions ½ cup

5. Button mushrooms 200 gms

6. Baby corn 100 gms

7. Carrots cut in to strips 100 gms

For the Sauce:
1.     Vinegar 1 tbsp
2.     Sugar 1/2 tsp
3.     Soya sauce 1 tbsp
4.     Olive oil 1 tbsp.
5.     Salt and pepper.

Method.
1. Boil the macaroni in salt water, drain and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in pan and add the vegetables one by one, keeping mushrooms and spring onions for the last and fry till they are cooked in HIGH FLAME.
3. Add salt and pepper for taste.
4. Add the macaroni and stir gently for 2 minutes. 
5. Add the sauces and mix gently .
6. serve hot as main course

This is a healthy dish loaded with vegetables. Kindly keep in mind that there is salt in soya sauce, so add salt with care. Fried egg can also be added as garnish.