Rice Kheer-Rice Pudding

Rice Kheer is made especially on special occasions and festivals. In this recipe, Rice & Milk is cooked for long time to get the perfect consistency and texture. Rice kheer is topped with nuts that gives wonderful crunch and flavor to the kheer.

Ingredients :

• Basmati Rice - 1/4 cup(Soak the rice for at least 30 mins)
• Full Fat Milk - 4 cups
• Butter/Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Green cardamom - 1 no.
• Raisins - 1/2 tbsp
• Saffron - few strands (optional)
• Sugar - 1/3 cup or to taste
• Pistachios, Almond, Cashews(Sliced) - 1/4 cup

Method :

• In a non-stick pan heat 1 tbsp of ghee. Bottom of the pan should nicely be coated with ghee.
• Now add the milk & wait until it boils.
• Add the soaked Basmati Rice (drain out water from the rice completely) to the boiling milk.
• Continue to cook until rice becomes tender and the milk should be reduced to half. Stir often to ensure the milk doesn't burn at the bottom of the pan.
• Cook it on medium heat, the mixture will became nice and creamy (approx 10 mins)
• Now add the sugar, raisins, 1/4 cup of nuts and continue the cooking for 8 more mins on medium heat OR until it reaches the right consistency that you are looking for. (Add saffron at this stage if using)
• Now add cardamom powder and continue the cooking for 2 more mins.
• Finally turn off the heat and garnish it with rest of nuts. Now it is ready to serve warm.
• Serve chilled by cooling it down and refrigerating for 1 hour. It is more flavorful after refrigerating.

                                           

Jack fruit Rava Kesari

Delicious and easy sweet made with jack fruit and semolina. Jack fruit is rich in energy, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. Make this recipe with good fleshy sweet jack fruit. Adding flavor of jack fruit to the normal kesari.

Ingredients :

• Rava - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup+2 tbsp
• Water - 2 cups
• Jack Fruit Chopped - 1 cup
• Eliachi Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Nuts - 1/4 cup
• Ghee - 3 tbsp

Method :

• In a non-stick pan heat 2 tbsp ghee and fry the nuts till golden and crispy. Transfer the nuts to a bowl.
• In the same pan heat remaining ghee and fry rava on medium flame till aromatic.
• Meanwhile set water to boil.
• When rava is light golden in color, add boiling water stirring continuously.
• Once the rava is cooked and all water is absorbed, add sugar and mix well.
• The mixture will become watery. At this stage add cardamom powder and chopped jack fruit. Mix well and cook till done.
• Add fried nuts and mix. Serve warm.

Maida Chakli / Murukku

Maida Chakli/Murukku, a very popular snack of South India is usually prepared for festivals like Krishna Janmashtami, Diwali etc. This recipe uses maida which is dry steamed and fragrant sesame seeds. This process yields chakli's which has melt-in-mouth crispiness and tastes like no other. This is an instant recipe except the waiting time for the steamed flour to dry.

Ingredients :

• Maida/ All Purpose Flour - 2 cups
• Sesame Seeds - 2 tsp
• Warm Water as required
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tsp & for frying

Method :

• Take maida in a container/vessel. Place the container in a pressure cooker and steam cook it for 15 mins with out the whistle. (No need of covering the container/vessel)

• Once it cools down, take out the vessel. Maida would have been transformed into a lump. Allow it to cool down completely and break the lumps formed.
• Sieve the steamed maida and collect it in a container. Now the flour for chakli is ready. You can steam in large quantity and store them and use when needed.
• In a mixing bowl take sieved maida, sesame seeds, salt, hot oil and mix well with out any lumps.

• Add warm water and mix with a spoon. When warm enough to handle gather to a smooth and soft dough.

• Take star shaped mould and fit it in the chakli press. Grease the press and fill it with the prepared dough. 

• On a clean paper or thick plastic sheet press it circular to form a pattern.

• Heat oil in a kadai on medium flame. Carefully drop the chakli in the oil and fry them in medium low flame till golden color. (You can fry up-to 4 to 6 chakli at a time depending on the size of your kadai)
• Drain and remove them on to tissue paper. Allow it to cool to room temperature. 
• Yummy and crispy chakli/murukku is ready to be served. Store it in airtight container and enjoy the crispy chakli for upto 10 days.

Coconut Burfi

Coconut burfi is an easy recipe with only few ingredients. Freshly grated coconut is cooked with sugar. Cardamom powder and ghee are added to give aroma and flavor to the dessert with nuts for extra crunch.

Ingredients :

• Freshly Grated Coconut - 2 Cups
• Sugar - 1 n 3/4 Cups
• Eliachi/Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chopped Nuts - 4 tbsp
• Ghee - 2 tbsp

Method :

• Grate coconut without scraping brown part to get milky white coconut burfi.
• Fry chopped nuts in ghee till golden and keep them aside. You can make plain burfi with out nuts.
• Keep a plate/tray greased with ghee before starting the process.
• In a non stick pan take grated coconut and sugar. Heat them on medium flame.

• Mix them well on medium flame. Continue cooking with constant stirring. Sugar will melt and form a thick liquid. 

•  Keep on stirring until the mixture starts leaving the pan and forms a mass. At this stage add eliachi/cardamom powder and fried nuts. Mix well and switch off the flame immediately.

• Transfer the mixture to the greased tray and level it. Leave it to cool down for 5-8 minutes and cut into squares when still warm.

• It is ready to be served. Store it in airtight container once it cools down completely.

Tips :

• While scrapping the coconut, take care not to scrape the brown part.
• If you keep stirring even after desired consistency is reached, sugar will get caramelized and color will start to change.
• When desired consistency is reached, act fast and transfer to the greased plate immediately, else the mixture would become hard. So keep the greased tray ready and handy.
• Don't allow them to cool down for more than 10 mins else cutting into pieces will be difficult.

Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried rice that is super easy to make and delicious. Chicken fried rice is a popular dish at chinese restaurants, its indo chinese version has become one of the favorite of Indians. This is a complete meal recipe to make at home with leftovers such as cold rice, eggs, boneless chicken pieces and frozen or fresh vegetables. You can use beans, carrot, capsicum, white cabbage, red cabbage, green peas, corn, spring onions.
Following is the recipe for chicken fried rice. Meatless version is egg fried rice and vegetable fried rice. For Egg fried rice, just skip the meat and increase the number of eggs by 6. For vegetable fried rice, skip the eggs and meat by increasing quantity and variety of vegetables.

Ingredients :

• Basmati Rice - 1 cup
• Boneless Chicken - 150 gms or 1/2 cup diced
• Eggs - 2
• Onion - 1
• Beans - 6
• Carrot - 1 small
• Capsicum - 1/2 small
• Garlic - 1 tbsp chopped
• Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Pepper Powder as per spiciness
• Oil - 3 tbsp

Method :

• Step 1 : Wash and soak basmati rice for half an hour. In a vessel boil 2 cups of water. Add salt and drained rice. Cook till rice is 80% cooked. Strain and keep aside to cool down.

• Step 2 : In a bowl break eggs and beat them. Add salt, pepper powder and mix well. Pour the mix on a tawa and scramble the eggs. Take it out on to a plate. ( You can even add eggs to the vegetables when it is cooked and scramble it.)

• Step 3: Take diced chicken and season with salt and pepper. In a kadai heat 1 tbsp oil. Add diced chicken and saute it till chicken is cooked. Transfer it to a plate.

• Step 4 : In the same kadai heat 2 tbsp oil. Add chopped garlic and saute till raw smell goes away. Add sliced onion or white sping onion and fry till translucent.

• Add chopped beans and carrot and saute for 2 mins. Add sliced capsicum and fry for a minute. Vegetables should be cooked but still crunchy and not soft.

• Add salt, pepper powder, soy sauce and saute for a minute.

• Step 5 : Add scrambled eggs, cooked chicken, mix and saute for a minute for all the flavors to get combined.

• Add cooked rice and mix everything well. If using add green spring onions now.

• A pretty complete meal in itself is ready to be served.

Masala Egg Bhurji

Masala egg bhurji is an easy way of cooking scrambled eggs with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, chilies and spice powders which can be served at breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is great for days when there is no vegetables in refrigerator and it can be made in a jiffy on busy days. It tastes awesome with rotis or naan.

Ingredients :

• Eggs - 4 to 5
• Onion - 1 medium-sized
• Tomato - 1 medium-sized
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Green chili - 2
• Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
• Coriander Leaves - 4 sprig
• Turmeric Powder - 1/8 tsp
• Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
• Pepper powder to taste
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2tbsp

Method :

• In a pan heat oil. Add finely chopped onions and fry till they are translucent. Add ginger garlic paste, slit green chilies, curry leaves, turmeric powder and saute till raw smell of the paste goes away.

• Add finely chopped tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves and fry till tomatoes are soft. Add all the spice powders, salt and mix well.

• Break the eggs directly into the pan. Stir constantly and cook till the eggs dry up to the desired consistency.

• Serve hot with roti, naan or breads.

Ven Pongal (Ghee Pongal) - Tamilnadu Style

Ven Pongal/ Khara Pongal is one the simplest and traditional breakfast prepared in South India. It is also called as South Indian khichdi. Rice and moong dal are cooked together and seasoned with pepper, other spices and nuts in ghee.

Ingredients :

• Rice - 1 cup
• Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
• Peppercons - 2 tsp
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 2 sprig
• Green Chili - 3
• Cashewnuts - 10 to 15
• Ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Hing a pinch

Method :

• Heat a pan and dry roast moong dal till they are aromatic and slightly golden in color.
• In a bowl take rice and moong dal. Wash and soak them for half an hour. (Soaking is optional)
• Pressure cook rice and dal with 4 cups of water, 1tsp ghee and salt for 4-5 whistles on medium flame. The rice has to be cooked in such a way that it should be mushy. (Amount of water and duration of cooking depends on the rice used.)
• Once the pressure subsides, open the lid and mash the contents when it is hot.

• Meanwhile prepare the tempering.
• In a pan/kadai heat  2 tbsp ghee. Add jeera and let it splutter.

• Add broken cashewnuts and fry till they are crispy and golden in color.

• Add crushed ginger, hing, slit green chili, curry leaves and slighlty crushed peppercons. Fry till raw smell of ginger goes away.

• Add the mashed rice to the tempering or vice-versa and mix well. Check for salt.

• Serve hot with coconut chutney or sambar.

Tips & Variations :

• Add whole peppercons if you want spice to be less or serving to kids.
• We should be generous in using ghee for this recipe. The flavor of ghee with pepper is the unique taste of pongal. Hence the name Ghee Pongal.