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.

Srilankan Curry

Serves up to 2 to 3

Preparation time 10 minutes

Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1.Potatoes 500 gms

2. Coconut milk 1 cup

3. Green Chillies 3 nos.

4. curry Leaves 1 small bunch.

5. Red chilli powder ½ tsp.

6. Good Quality Saffron ¾ tsp.

7. Garlic pod 2 nos. minced.

8. water ½ cup

9. Salt to taste.

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes, peel it and cut it in to medium sized cubes.

2. Heat little oil in pan and add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

3. Add green chillies, potatoes, curry leaves and red chilli powder.

4. Fry for 2 minutes and and add coconut cream and salt.

5. Add salt.

6. Add water and cook over medium heat stirring frequently , until the coconut cream thickens, about 15 minutes.

7. Add saffron and cook for 5 minutes over low heat.

8. Once the gravy is ready, remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes before serving with plain rice.

This dish is easy to prepare and uses less oil and regular ingredients that are readily available in the house.

Raw Banana Kofta Curry

Ingredients: 

For the koftas:
1 - raw banana (boiled, peeled and mashed)
1- potato (boiled, peeled and mashed )
Salt to taste
1 tsp - green chilly paste or red chilly powder
1 tsp - cumin powder
1 tsp - ginger paste
Bread crumbs or corn flour for binding
Oil for frying

For the curry:
1 big - onion
2 - tomatoes
1 tsp - ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp - grated coconut
cloves and cinnamon stick, a little
2 cardamoms
Coriander leaves
2 - green chillies
Salt and sugar for taste

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients for the kofta and prepare them separately. 
2. Dry roast the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. 
3. Once it cools, grind them coarsely. 
4. In a kadai fry 2 tsp of ghee. 
5. Add 1 tsp of cumin, 2 onions cut in large pieces and fry until onions turn pink. 
6. Add ginger garlic paste and green chillies fry for a little while. 
7. Add the ground powder and fry for 1 minu te. 
8. Add chopped tomatoes and a little grated coconut. 
9. Add salt, fry until tomatoes become soft. 
10. Cool the mixture and grind it with some coriander leaves. 
11. Boil the mixture with the required amount of water to get curry consistency. 
12. Check salt. 
13. Add a little sugar for taste. 
14. While serving, add fried koftas and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Peanut and Oats Munchies!

 Peanut and Oats Munchies!

Ingredients

1.sesame seeds 100 gms

2.Olive oil 1/4 tbsp

3.Peanuts 1 cup

4.Honey 2 tbsp

5. Jaggery  2 tbsp

6. Oats 4 tbsp.

7. Wheat flakes 1 cup

Meathod

1. Roast sesame seeds in a pan separately for 5 minutes and keep aside.

2.In another pan, add olive oil and fry peanuts.

3. Once peanuts are roasted,add honey, jaggery and let it melt and get sticky.

4.Switch off the gas and then add the oats,wheat flakes, roasted sesame seeds and bake for 5 minutes.

5.cut in squares and store in air tight jar.

Note : If you don't have a microwave, level the ingredients in the pan and simmer for 5 minutes being careful not to burn.

This is a very healthy snack and can be had anytime in small quantities  between meals or when fasting.