CABBAGE RICE, how to make cabbage rice

Cabbage rice is a simple, Maharashtrian preparation, which can be easily prepared with the ingredients we have at home. Nothing exotic in this...It is so tasty, you don't even need a raita or any side for this rice. Just a bowl of curds would suffice.
Please check my other  Rice  varieties  here
Please refer to my Glossary for any unknown terms.

Ingredients

Basmati rice - 1 cup

Cabbage - a small one, chopped fine

Shelled peas - 3/4 cup

Water - 1 3/4 cups

Onion - 1, chopped

Green chillies - 3

Garlic - 2 pods

Ginger - a small piece

Grated fresh coconut - 3 tbsps

Lemon juice - 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

To Season

Cooking oil - 2 tbsps

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Cardamom - 3

Cloves - 3

Cinnamon - 3-4 broken small sticks

Recipe Cuisine: North Indian; Category: Lunch / Dinner

Prep time: 15 mts; Cooking time: 10 - 12 mts

Serves 3-4

Both the low cal vegetables.....low in calories but high in nutrition....

Basmati rice soaked in water for 10 - 15 minutes

Cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in a cup, green chillies, ginger and garlic ground to a paste, grated coconut in another cup, onion chopped

Soaked rice drained

In a pressure cooker, heat oil and ghee, season turmeric powder and jeera first

Then add and fry the onions till they become translucent, and now, add the ground paste, and the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon

Now, add the cabbage and peas

The grated coconut and salt to taste

Mix well

Add the well heated up measured water

By now, you all would have known my way of cooking rice.....as soon as steam comes, close the vent with a small cup, flames on the lowest, and cook for 10 - 12 minutes.

This is how the rice looks after 5 minutes

Fully done, now add the lemon juice, and gently mix.

Serve this excellent, exorbitant and  extra ordinary Cabbage Rice with just a bowl of yogurt...

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

PESARETTU , how to make Andhra Pesarettu

Wishing you all Happy Ugadi!!! Ugadi or Yugadi is  celebrated as New Year by people of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, and for them, the new Samvatsara (new year) starts on this day. It is called Gudi Padwa by people of Maharashtra.
This is a very famous Andhra breakfast dish, high in protein, is gluten free, and though andhrites make this special pesarettu with pure ghee, if we make it with just minimal oil, then it can be called vegan too.
Well...this famous Pesarettu is always served with Allam Pachadi, and hence these two form the Inseparable Combos.....Look at the pesarettu...golden hued outside...green inside...
Please check my other festival delicacies here

Ingredients

Whole green gram - 1 cup

Green chillies - 2

Ginger - a small piece

Jeera - 1 tsp

Rice flour - 1 1/2 tsps

Salt to taste

Oil to make the pesarettus

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian; Category: Breakfast / Dinner

Soaking time: 2-3 hours; Prep time: 5 mts; Cooking time: Roughly 3-4 minutes for each pesarettu

Yields 8-9 Pesarettu

Green gram soaked for 2-3 hours

The drained dhal, jeera, ginger and green chillies loaded into blender jar, not forgetting rice flour and salt to taste

First grind without water, let it become a coarse paste

Then enough water added, ground well, and batter ready to make pesarettu.

Pour the batter in the center, spread it as thin as possible like dosa, drizzle few drops of oil around, flames on medium, then roast the pesarettu. Turn when the bottom is done, and after turning, flames on the lowest.

Serve this nutrition loaded Pesarettu with the tangy Allam Pachadi.

  

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

Notes

* Green gram should not be soaked for longer time, then the pesarettu will not become crispy. 2-3 hours is ideal. 

*In Andhra, they serve pesarettu with upma inside, just as we serve masala dosa with potato masal inside.

* Sometimes, they keep ghee-sauteed chopped onions too inside.

* Can be served with any chutney of your choice too, but once you taste this Allam Pachadi, you will not prefer anything else.

*The left over batter can be refrigerated and used the next day, but, honestly speaking, I will say, compared to the Pesarettus made from fresh batter, the next day's batter-made pesarettus will be slightly less in quality.

*If the tava is too hot, then the pesarettu will not get the golden color outside and greenish tinge inside. It will become brown. So, if tva becomes too hot, reduce heat, sprinkle some water over it, and then pour the batter.

ALLAM PACHADI, how to make Allam Pachadi , how to make the Andhra Ginger pickle

"Allam" in Telugu means Ginger and "Pachadi" means Pickle. Recipe source is my close friend, whose roots are from Andhra.
This ginger pickle can be used as an accompaniment for all kinds of dosas and chapathis. And, needless to say, it tastes  yummilicious  with curd rice. 

Ingredients

Ginger, washed and chopped - 3/4 cup

Jaggery - 3/4 cup

Tamarind paste - 1 1/2 tbsps (or thick juice extracted from a big gooseberry sized tamarind)

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Garlic - 1 pod

Dry roasted methi seeds - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

To Season

Gingely oil - 3 tbsps

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Broken red chillies - 2-3

Recipe Cuisine: South Indian; Category: Breakfast/dinner/accompaniment

Prep time: 10 mts; Cooking time: 5 mts

Yields a small bowl of pickle

Methi seeds being dry roasted

Picture below shows ginger, garlic, tamarind paste, chilli powder and salt loaded into the blender  jar and the other picture shows the ground paste

Now, add the jaggery and the roasted methi seeds and grind to a smooth paste

In a pan, heat oil, season mustard seeds and red chillies, after they splutter, 

add the ground paste, keep the flames on the lowest and cook for 3-4  minutes

Done and switched off

The tangy, spicy, sweetness infused Allam Pachadi is ready!!!

Serve it with hot pesarettu, loaded with protein.

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

Notes

*Allam Pachadi can be refrigerated and used for couple of weeks.

NAVRATAN KHORMA, how to make Navratan khorma...

"Navratan" in hindi means, nine gems.........
you can say, nine lovely things contribute to the goodness of this recipe........sometimes they exceed nine also..it does not matter. Be it a restaurant in London, or America .........Chennai or New delhi, be it a small dhabba somewhere in the interior north or a small eatery in deep south, this Navratan Khorma will surely be on their menu.
This is supposed to be a rich gravy, but I have made it healthier, skipping fresh cream.

Ingredients

Potatoes - 8

Green bell pepper - 1

Carrots - 4

Fresh beans - cut, 2 cups

Fresh or frozen peas - 2 cups

Yogurt - 1 cup, whisked

Corn flour - 2 tsps

Tomatoes - 5, pureed

Paneer - 2 cups, cubed, soaked in hot water for 1/2 hour and drained

Pineapple pieces - 3/4 cup

Chilli powder - 2 tsps

Coriander powder - 2 tsps

Garam masala - 2 tsps

Salt to taste

To Season

Ginger paste - 1 1/2 tsps

Garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsps

Onion - 1

Cooking oil + ghee - 4 tbsps

For the dry masala powder

Khus khus/ poppy seeds - 2 tsps

Jeera/cumin - 2 tsps

Cardamoms - 4

Cloves - 4

Cinnamon sticks - 4

For the wet masala

Onion - 1

Fresh coconut - 3 tbsps

Green chillies - 3

Recipe Cuisine: North Indian; Category: Lunch / dinner

Prep time: 20 mts; Cooking time: 25 mts

Serves 6-8

Ingredients mentioned above for the dry masala, dry roasted in a pan, then powdered

Picture below shows the ingredients for the wet masala and the ground masala

Tomatoes pureed, yogurt/curds ready to be whisked with corn flour

In a pressure cooker, add oil and ghee, add onions with garlic and ginger pastes

Let the onions become translucent, then add the dry and wet masalas, saute well in low flames for 5 minutes

Now, add the chilli, coriander and garam masala powders and saute well

Time to add the vegetables. Potatoes, green bell pepper and carrots added

Green beans and peas added

All mixed well

Tomato puree added and sauteed well

Add salt and water, a little below the vegetable level. Because, when you add curds later, it will become very watery. If needed, you can always add some water to the gravy later. Close the lid and cook for 3-4 whistles

After opening the lid, after the pressure releases

Now, add the paneer cubes which have been soaked in hot water for half hour and drained

Take care to keep the flames on the lowest, and gently keep stirring, while adding the whisked yogurt/curds, with corn flour. Please do not add while the flames are on high, then the curds might curdle.

In the end, add the pineapple pieces, and switch off. 

Serve this flavorful, healthy but rich Navratan khorma with chapathis or rice.

This post first appeared in www.malpatskitchen.com

Notes

* You can roast a few cashews and raisins in ghee and add, if you like.

* We get pineapple tins with sugar syrup. If you like the sweet taste, then you can add some of the syrup too.

* Fresh pineapple can be chopped and added too.