Avarekalu uppittu is the Kannada name for rava upma prepared with hyacinth beans (Field beans in English, Mochai in Tamil ). Its a healthy breakfast and dinner recipe of Karnataka. Avarekalu, a kind of bean is available all over Karnataka during winter season from December to February. We call it as mocha kottai in Tamil. As it is healthy and a good source of protein, people try to consume more avarekalu by adding them in upma / uppittu, akki roti, sambar/ saaru , palya/ poriyal etc. Every year during this time, I try varieties of avarekalu recipes learning from my school moms friends. Recently I went to the most popular avarekalu mela (food festival) in VV puram. It was so good to see varieties of sweets, snacks, breakfast, dinner and lunch recipes with avarekalu. After eating there, I was tempted to try some of them at home. As a first step, I tried this easy and quick avarekalu uppittu recipe prepared with rava / semolina, field beans and onion. It came out so soft and yummy just like the hotel ones. I must thank my friends Tara and Megha for sharing some important points like roasting rava in oil, rava water ratio and tips to make the best avarekalu uppittu. I am very happy with the results. This recipe will be helpful for beginners too. I used coarse Bombay rava. For healthy option, you can use bansi rava or rice rawa (akki tari) too. Ok, lets see how to make avarekalu uppittu recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my other interesting avarekalu recipes too !

Avarekalu uppittu / Avarekalu rava upma recipe

Learn how to make Karnataka special avarekalu uppittu recipe with stepwise pictures.

Cuisine:Karnataka

Category:Breakfast

Serves:Serves 2 -3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:15 Minutes

Total time:25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Bombay rava / Coarse semolina - 1 cup
Cooked Avarekalu / Hyacinth beans - 1/2 cup
Big onion - 1
Green chilli - 2 ( use 4 for spicy uppittu)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (Finely chopped)
Curry leaves - Few
Coriander leaves - to garnish
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Salt - as needed
Water - 3.5 cups
Lemon juice - few drops (optional)

To Temper

Cooking oil - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp for roasting rava
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Cashew nuts - few

HOW TO MAKE AVAREKALU UPPITTU

Wash and pressure cook avarekalu in high flame for two whistles adding required water.
Drain the excess water and keep the cooked avarekalu ready.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai. Roast the rava in medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes patiently.
Transfer to a plate. Again heat the kadai with 2 tbsp oil.
Splutter mustard, urad, chana dal and cumin seeds. Add cashews and roast till slightly golden.
Add finely chopped onion, green chilli, ginger and curry leaves. Saute till transparent.
Then add the cooked avarekalu without any water. Mix well.
Lastly add the roasted rava and mix well. Add the required salt, mix it. Switch off the flame.
In a bowl, take the required water and boil till it roll boils.
Add this water carefully to the rava mixture. Mix gently without making any lumps.
After the rava is mixed well with water, switch on the flame. Add grated coconut, coriander leaves and mix well.
Cover cook in low flame till its done. Lastly add 1 tbsp ghee and switch off the flame.
Mix and serve hot with coconut chutney. Enjoy !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and pressure cook avarekalu in high flame for 2 whistles. Do not over cook it. Remove and drain the excess water. Set aside. Chop onion, green chilli, ginger, coriander leaves and keep it ready.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai. Roast rava in medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes without changing its color. Transfer to a plate.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in the same kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, cashews and cumin seeds. Saute onion, green chilli, curry leaves. Saute till onion becomes transparent.

Now add the cooked avarekalu and saute for a minute. Add the required salt and roasted rava. Mix well.

Boil 3.5 cups water in a bowl and add the water to the rava carefully. It splashes. Keep the flame low and mix without any lumps. Rava absorbs all the water and becomes thick. ( My friends suggested me to make this upma mushy and soft . So we are adding more water. If you want it fluffy and separate, add 2.5 cups of water).

Now add the finely chopped coriander leaves, grated coconut and mix well. Cover and cook in low to medium flame for 5 minutes. Open the lid and mix well once in the middle.
Switch off the flame and add 1 tbsp ghee at the end. If you like, you can add few drops of lemon juice too. It looks mushy when hot. But it becomes fluffy and separate as it cools down.

Note

You can skip onion and make it for no onion no garlic version.
Adjust the quantity of green chillies based on your taste.
You can use bansi rava instead of Bombay rava. Some people also make it with chiroti rava / fine rava.
Addition of coriander leaves and grated coconut gives a nice flavor and taste to upma. You can add it in the water instead of adding at the end.

Try this yummy, healthy avarekalu uppittu and enjoy !

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Kavuni arisi is a popular sweet recipe in Chettinad region. It is served in all Chettinad wedding feast. Kavuni arisi is prepared with black rice / Karuppu arisi (Oryza Sativa). It can be prepared with red rice/ Sigappu arisi too. Kavuni rice sweet is an easy recipe. Just wash and soak black rice, pressure cook it. Mix with sugar and coconut. Enjoy, its that simple and easy to make. Black rice is also known as purple rice, sticky rice in India. Black rice is completely different from brown rice and white rice. Its a popular rice variety in Myanmar, Burma. They call it as Chak-hao. It tastes chewy and slightly hard. Back rice is considered as a super food. The bran hull (outermost layer) of black rice contains one of the highest levels of anthocyanins found in food. It has a deep black color and usually turns deep purple when cooked. Its dark purple color is primarily due to its anthocyanin content, which is higher by weight than that of other colored grains. Black rice is also a good source of iron, vitamin E, fiber and antioxidants. It is suitable for preparing dessert, porridge, pongal, idli, dosa and some traditional Chinese black rice cake, bread and noodles. During our recent trip to Karaikudi, people told Chettiars used to bring black rice, burma teakwood and much more by trading all over the world in olden days. Nowadays good quality black rice is cultivated in pudukkottai, karaikudi region and is supplied all over Tamil nadu. You can get it online or from any organic millet shops. I bought this black rice, hand pounded rice ( Kaikuthal arisi) and bamboo rice (moongil arisi) from a shop in front of Green park restaurant in Palani road, Kottapatti – Dindigul.

This is the first time I am using black rice. So I went through many websites and watched YouTube videos for cooking this rice perfectly. I also asked Viji akka from Chettinad for Kavuni arisi recipe mainly the rice water ratio and the quantity of sugar, coconut. Based on her traditional family recipe, I tried it twice and made a perfect kavuni arisi sweet. I noticed two things in this recipe. One, black rice is basically hard and wild. So it should be soaked for a minimum of 6 hours to cook well. I soaked overnight, nearly 12 hours. Secondly, it takes more water to cook no matter about cooking in an open pot or in a pressure cooker. It takes 1:4 rice water ratio. You should cook till the white part comes out from the red bran. So cooking time varies as per the rice. Old rice takes more water and more time to cook whereas new rice consumes less water. Based on the age of rice, water quantity and cooking time varies. Quantity of sugar can be varied as per your taste. Usually it is 1:1 ratio of rice and sugar but I felt its too sweet. So I used 1:3/4 ratio. There is no need to cook the rice after adding sugar and coconut as per Viji akka’s recipe. But I saw many versions with variations in the basic kavuni arisi recipe. However you make it, its a tasty indulgence ! If you are conscious about using sugar, you can always add Karupatti / Palm jaggery or jaggery. Just powder them and add it. Ok, lets see how to make Chettinad special Kavuni arisi recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out more Chettinad special recipes !

Kavuni arisi recipe

Chettinad special sweet - Kavuni arisi using black rice, sugar and coconut.

Cuisine:Chettinad

Category:Sweet

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:8 Hours

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:8 Hours 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Black rice / Kavuni arisi - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 to 2.5 cups
Sugar - 1/2 cup (I used 1/3 cup)
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cashew nuts – Few
Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)

METHOD

Wash the black rice / Kavuni arisi twice or thrice to remove the dust. Soak overnight (12 hours) or minimum 6 hours.
In a pressure cooker base, take 5 cups of water. Add the soaked kavuni arisi draining excess water. Pressure cook in very low flame for 5 to 6 whistles till the rice becomes mushy. After cooking, you should be see the white part and red bran separately. It is cooked soft but it tastes mildly chewy and hard. Do not panic. Quantity of water and number of whistles to pressure cook depends on the age of rice.(Old rice takes more water whereas new rice takes just 2.5 cups of water for 1 cup of rice. Similarly old rice takes more time to cook than new ones).

After the steam is released, open the cooker. You will find a layer of water. Just mash the rice with a ladle. Drain the excess water and reserve it. Add sugar, grated coconut and cardamom powder. As soon as you add sugar, it will melt and mixture becomes watery. But it will thicken as it cools down. If you feel its too thick you can add the cooked, reserved water to adjust the consistency. Suppose if its too watery, you can boil till thick. But the traditional kavuni arisi recipe doesn't call for cooking after adding sugar and coconut.

After mixing the rice, sugar and coconut, check for the taste. Add more sugar if needed. Lastly add cashew nuts roasted in a tbsp of ghee. Serve warm or cold. Enjoy !

Note

Cardamom powder is optional. You can skip it to enjoy the flavor of black rice.
Black rice takes more time to cook than white rice and brown rice. So cook in low flame for more whistles.
There is no need to cook the rice after adding sugar and coconut. Just mix them and serve immediately.

Try this yummy Chettinad special Kavuni arisi recipe. You will love it !

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Recently I went to avarekalu mela 2019 , food festival in V V puram, food street. I tasted avarekalu dosa / avarebele dosa for the first time. In fact, I went to the mela just to taste this dosa recipe. In Karnataka, Avarekai / Avarekalu (Hyacinth beans in English, Mochai in Tamil, Surti papdi lilva in Hindi), a variety of broad beans is available during winter season in local markets. It is used in varieties of breakfast, dinner recipes, traditional sweets and snacks as a healthy addition. Variety of avarekalu recipes like ragi roti, avarekai idli, avarekalu dosa, usli, kodubele, uppittu, masala vada, rice bath, shavige, ragi mudde and much more are served as main dishes in the festival with hitikida bele saru (pressed field beans gravy) as side dish. Avarebele dosa was so good. I loved it very much👍 . This dosa recipe and avarekalu akki roti was attracting the crowd in the festival. Avarebele dosa is nothing but our traditional sponge dosa topped with a mix of cooked hitikida avarebele, onions, coriander and dill leaves. Its prepared with an easy, no cook avarekalu masala. I bought a kg of hitikida avarekalu to try this dosa, akki roti, uppittu and saaru at home. Recently I posted avarekalu uppittu and avarekalu usli recipe in my blog. In continuation, here is the avarekalu dosa recipe based on the one I tasted in the food festival. For variations, you can sprinkle spicy idli podi / chutney pudi over the dosa and then top it with avarekalu masala. Drizzle lots of oil or ghee for best taste. Ok, Lets see how to make avarekalu dosa with step by step pictures.

Check out my other AVAREKALU RECIPES too !

Also see my other DOSA VAREITIES if interested.

Avarekalu dosa - Avarebele dosa recipe

Avarekalu dosa - Avarebele dosa recipe for breakfast/ dinner.

Cuisine:Karnataka

Category:Breakfast

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:20 Minutes

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Hitikida avarekalu / Pressed hyacinth beans - 1 cup
Big onion - 2 (finley chopped)
Green chilli - 1 (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves - a handful (-do-)
Dill leaves / sabsige soppu - a handful (-do-)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Dosa batter - 2 cups
Cooking oil - to drizzle over the dosa

HOW TO MAKE AVAREKALU DOSA

Wash and pressure cook hitikida avarekalu in high flame for one whistle.
Do not over cook. Drain the excess water and take the cooked avarekalu in a plate.
Add cumin seeds, finely chopped onion, green chilli, dill leaves, coriander leaves and salt.
Mix well and set aside. Topping for avarebele dosa is ready.
Heat dosa pan. Pour a ladleful of dosa batter. Spread it slightly.
Keep the flame low. Spread the avarekalu mixture all over the dosa.
Drizzle oil all over the dosa. Flip and cook in low to medium flame till onion turns golden brown.
Remove the dosa and serve with coconut chutney, tomato chutney or hitikidabele saru.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

To make hitikida avarekalu, wash and soak whole avarekalu (field beans) in water for 3 to 4 hours. Take one soaked avarekalu and press it between your forefinger and thumb finger. Squeeze it to remove the outer skin. You will get hitkida avarekalu (squeezed field beans). Repeat and get it done. If you have store bought hitikida avarekalu, you can proceed to next step directly.

Wash and take 1 cup of hitkavare in a pressure cooker. Add some water to cover it. Just pressure cook it in high flame for just one whistle. Do not over cook it. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Drain the excess water. Set aside.

In a bowl, take the cooked avarekalu, finely chopped onion, green chilli, coriander leaves, dill leaves, salt and cumin seeds. Mix gently. Dosa topping masala is ready.

Heat a dosa pan. Sprinkle some water to check the heat of pan. Lower the flame. Wipe the dosa pan with a cloth. Pour a ladleful of batter, spread it slightly.

Let the flame be low to medium. You can see bubbles forming all over the dosa. When the dosa is 3/4 th cooked, spread few tsp of avarekalu masala over the dosa.

Pour few tsp of oil all over the dosa and sides. Press the masala with the dosa flipper for the topping to stud in the dosa. Now flip the dosa carefully. Keep the flame medium high. Pour some oil in the corners if you like. Let the bottom of dosa becomes golden brown. Do not cook in high flame. Masala may get burnt.

Now remove the dosa in a plate. Serve it hot with chutney or sambar/ saaru. You will love it. For variations, you can drizzle some ghee or keep a small block of butter for kids while serving.

In some shops, they sprinkle spicy chutney podi over the dosa and then they top it with masala. You can try that way too. You can use idli podi or peanut podi for that. Tastes awesome !
Enjoy !

Note

Pressing avarekalu is the only time consuming job here else you can make this masala quickly as this is a no cook recipe.
You can use the same masala and make avarekalu stuffed idli too.
Adjust the quantity of green chilli as per your need.
I made it less spicy. As mentioned above, you can sprinkle some idli podi or chutney podi before topping with masala.
Drizzle some ghee along with oil for better taste.

Try this healthy avarekalu dosa at home and enjoy !

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Bitter gourd is one of my favorite vegetables. So I love to try varieties of bitter gourd recipes in my kitchen. Recently I tried this yummy bitter gourd thokku recipe for rice (pavakkai in Tamil, Karela in Hindi) from Sangeetha’s blog. Its basically an onion, tomato, bitter gourd curry very similar to our Tamil nadu style tomato thokku. As usual I tried this bitter gourd thokku in an easy way by using my pressure cooker. It came out so well with a combination of tangy, sweet and mild bitter taste. It was so easy and quick to make in a pressure cooker. It tastes great when mixed with plain rice drizzled with few drops of sesame oil. It goes well with curd rice and chapathi as well. The bitterness is not much visible in this recipe as we are adding tomato, tamarind and jaggery. Also slicing the bitter gourd thinly helps to reduce the bitterness. If you are a bitter gourd lover, you must try this recipe. You will love it for sure. This pavakkai thokku stays good for 10 days or more when refrigerated. If kept outside, it stays good for 2 days. So you can pack it for travel too. But use a clean spoon to handle it. Ok, lets see how to make this easy, yummy bitter gourd thokku recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my bitter gourd poriyal, pavakkai pitlai, pavakkai puli kulambu,Andhra style Kakarakaya pulusu, Bitter gourd biryani, Bitter gourd chips and bitter gourd masala curry.

Bitter gourd thokku recipe / Pavakkai thokku

How to make bitter gourd thokku / pavakkai thokku easily in a pressure cooker.

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Side dish for rice

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Bitter gourd - 1 no (big sized, thinly sliced)
Big onion - 2 nos. (finely chopped)
Ripe tomato - 2 nos.(finely chopped)
Garlic cloves - 5 (finely chopped)
Tamarind extract - Big gooseberry size
Powdered Jaggery - 1 tbsp (adjust)
Red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp to 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt & water - as needed

To Temper

Cooking oil or Gingely oil - 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - Few
Hing / Asafetida - 1/4 tsp

HOW TO MAKE BITTER GOURD THOKKU

Wash and chop bitter gourd into small thin slices. It helps to reduce bitterness.
Chop onion, garlic, tomato finely. Heat oil in a pressure cooker base.
Splutter mustard , urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves and hing.
Add finely chopped onion and garlic. Once transparent, add sliced bitter gourd.
Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and saute for 5 minutes till its quantity reduces slightly.
Now add tomato and saute till it becomes mushy. Add chilli powder and coriander powder.
Mix till raw smell goes off. Lastly add 1/4 cup of tamarind extract, powdered jaggery. Mix well.
Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Remove the lid after the steam is released.
Mix and boil if thokku is watery. Once its thick, you can remove and cool down.
Yummy Pavakkai thokku is ready ! Store in a clean box and refrigerate it. Enjoy with plain rice, curd rice and chapathi

BITTER GOURD THOKKU - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop bitter gourd into small, thin slices. Slicing thinly helps to remove bitterness. You can mix the chopped bitter gourd pieces and salt. Keep it aside for 15 to 30 minutes. Squeeze and drain the water. It also helps to reduce the bitterness. But its nutritional value is lost. So I don’t do this way. I just chop the BG thinly. Similarly chop onion, garlic and tomato into very small pieces.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, hing and curry leaves.

Add onion, garlic and saute till transparent. Now add thinly sliced bitter gourd, turmeric powder and salt. Saute for 5 minutes in medium flame till bitter gourd shrinks in quantity slightly.

Add tomato pieces. Saute till it turns mushy. Then add chilli powder and dhania powder. Mix well till its raw smell goes off.

Lastly add 1/4 cup of tamarind extract, jaggery and mix well. You can add very little water if the thokku is too thick. Close the pressure cooker lid. Keep the flame high till steam comes out. Put the weight valve and simmer the flame completely. Cook in low flame for one whistle.

Open the cooker lid after the steam is released. If you find there is excess water in the thokku, boil for sometime till its thick. Switch off the flame and remove in a clean bowl. Let it cool down. Store in a refrigerator. It stays good for 10 days. You can enjoy with plain rice, curd rice, chapathi, idli dosa too. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of chili powder as per your taste.
Do not skip jaggery. It gives a mild sweet taste to this thokku.
Make sure there is no excess water in the thokku. It will reduce its shelf life.

Try this easy, yummy bitter gourd thokku and enjoy !

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Tindora rice / ivy gourd rice known as Kovakkai sadam in Tamil (Dondakaya annam in Telugu) is an easy, yummy Indian lunch box recipe . As many of my readers are asking me to share more rice varieties for lunch box, I thought of posting this easy, one pot rice recipe made using our Indian pressure cooker. As this recipe has no grinding job, you can prepare it easily under 15 minutes. Ideal for bachelors and working women to pack it for lunch box. I adapted this recipe from

Sailus blog. I made some variations and tried it without coconut as per my convenience. It came out really well. Sendhil and Raksha are not a fan of tindora vegetable. Still they liked this rice. I am sure your family would love it too. Do try it once and share your feedback with me. For variations, you can make the tindora masala separately and mix with leftover rice or freshly cooked rice. Ok, lets see how to make kovakkai sadam / tindora rice with step by step pictures.

Check out my 40+ Vegetable biryani and pulao recipes.

Also see my other rice varieties for lunch box.

Tindora rice / Kovakkai sadam

How to make tindora rice easily in a pressure cooker for lunch box.

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Main course

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Basmati rice - 1 cup ( I used loose basmati rice bought from Metro)
Tindora/ Kovakkai / Ivy gourd - 15
Big onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Green chilli - 1 or 2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric ;powder - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice – as needed
Coriander leaves + mint leaves - 2 tbsp
Water – 1.5 cups
Salt – as needed

To saute

Cooking oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cloves - 2
Bayleaf - 1
Black stone flower / kalpasi - 1
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

HOW TO MAKE TINDORA RICE / KOVAKKAI SADAM

Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 15 minutes.
Wash and slice tindora / kovakkai into thin vertical slices.
Wash and chop onion. Set aside.
Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base. Saute the whole garam masala spices.
Saute onion, gg paste, green chilli. Add chopped mint+coriander leaves, sliced kovakkai and saute well.
Add spice powders and mix well. Lastly add water and salt. Mix well.
When the water roll boils, add the basmati rice. Mix gently.
Pressure cook for one whistle in low flame. Add lemon juice. Fluff the rice and serve hot with onion raita !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 15 minutes. In the mean time, wash and slice tindora/ kovakkai. Trim off the top and bottom. Then cut into thin slices vertically. I chopped into 6 thin vertical slices. Wash and chop onion finely.

Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base. Once its heated, saute cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and black stone flower. Add onion, green chilli. Saute till transparent. Then add ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell goes off.

Now add the chopped mint + coriander leaves. Mix well. Add kovakkai pieces.

Saute in medium flame till it starts to shrink. Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander seeds powder and salt. Mix well.

Lastly add water and let it roll boil. Add the washed rice. Mix gently. Close the cooker. Keep the flame high till vapor comes out. Put the weight valve. Reduce the flame completely, cook for one whistle. It may take 8 to 10 minutes. Switch off the flame. Remove the cooker lid after the steam is released completely.

Add lemon juice. Fluff the rice gently using a fork like ladle. Remove in a plate and serve hot with onion raita or any kurma, chips !

Note

Adjust the quantity of spices as per your taste.
You can use seega samba rice / Jeera rice or raw rice instead of basmati.
I did not soak basmati. So I used 1.75 cups of water to make soft rice.

Try this easy, yummy, interesting tindora rice for your lunch box and enjoy !

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Beetroot rice (Beetroot pulao) is one of the yummy, colorful, kids friendly rice varieties for lunch box. It can be prepared in 2 ways. One by making beetroot masala and mix with leftover cooked rice. Second is one pot method using pressure cooker. We can call it as beetroot pulao. Recently my neighbor gave me some beetroot rice to taste. We loved it very much. So I got the recipe from her and tried in my kitchen. As I wanted, its a very simple recipe without any grinding job. All you have to do is just saute all the spices, beetroot , add rice and cook. It can be done under 15 minutes. You can prepare it easily for your lunch box. Even kids would love to eat this rice as it looks colorful. Friends, do try this easy beetroot pulao recipe for your lunch box or a quick weekend lunch. You will love it ! Here you go, Indian style beetroot rice recipe with step by step pictures.

Beetroot rice / Beetroot pulao recipe

Beetroot rice / Beetroot pulao recipe for lunch box.

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Main course

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Beetrrot - 1 ( 3/4 cup chopped beetroot)
Green peas - 2 tbsp ( optional)
Basmati rice - 1 cup ( I used loose basmati rice used for making hyderabadi biryani)
Cooking oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 1
Bay leaf - 1
Star anise - 1
Shahjeera / Black cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - few
Big onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 2 to 3
Dhania powder / coriander seeds powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1.5 cups
Salt - as needed

HOW TO MAKE BEETROOT PULAO

Wash the basmati rice and soak in water for 15 minutes.
Wash and peel the beetroot skin. Chop into small pieces and set aside.
Chop onion, slit green chilli. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base.
Saute the whole garam masala one by one. Then add cashew nuts, onion.
Saute till onion becomes transparent. Then add ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell goes off.
Now add the chopped beetroot, green peas. Saute for a minute. Add turmeric powder, dhania powder and garam masala powder.
Saute for few minutes. Lastly add water, soaked rice, salt and pressure cook for one whistle in low flame.
Open and fluff the rice gently. Serve hot with onion raita !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the basmati rice and soak it in enough water for 15 minutes. Wash and peel beetroot skin. Chop finely. Finely chop onion, slit green chilli. Set aside.

Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base. Saute cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise, bay leaf. Add shajeera, cashew nuts, big onion, green chilli and saute till onion becomes transparent.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute till its raw smell goes off. Then add chopped beetroot, green peas and mix well for few minutes.

Add turmeric powder, coriander seeds powder, garam masala powder and salt. Mix in medium flame.

Add 1.5 cups of water and bring to boil. Add the soaked rice and mix gently without breaking the rice. Close the cooker lid. Keep the flame high till steam comes out.

After steam starts to come, lower the flame completely and put the weight valve. Cook in very low flame for one whistle. Switch off the flame. Let the steam release. Then open the cooker and fluff the rice gently. Serve hot with onion raita, chips !

Note

Adjust the quantity of green chilli as per your taste.
You can use red chilli powder instead of green chilli but taste of pulao varies.

Try this yummy, colorful beetroot pulao and share your feedback !

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Recently I started making vendakkai poriyal (Okra fry / Lady’s finger curry) in microwave. Its so easy to make and hassle free. I tried it in my own way by microwaving chopped onion and lady’s finger in high power for 8 to 10 minutes by tossing them twice in the middle. Then did the seasoning. It came out very well. The best part is you don’t have to stand nearby and keep sautéing to remove the slimy texture of vendakkai. Lady’s finger cooks so quickly in less oil. I am happy with my first attempt of making lady’s finger poriyal in microwave. You too give a try and share your feedback with me. Ok, lets see how to make vendakkai poriyal in microwave with step by step pictures.

Check out my vendakkai poriyal - stove top version, Lady's finger poriyal with tomato too !

Microwave vendakkai poriyal recipe / Lady's finger curry in microwave

South Indian lady's finger poriyal in microwave

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Main course

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Lady's finger / Vendakkai - 20 nos.
Big onion - 1
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - as needed
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp

To Temper

Cooking oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few

HOW TO MAKE VENDAKKAI PORIYAL IN MICROWAVE

Wash and pat dry lady’s finger with a towel. Chop into small roundels.
In a microwave safe bowl, take the chopped vendakkai, chopped big onion, turmeric, sambar powder and salt.
Add a tbsp of cooking oil and mix well to coat the vegetable.
Microwave in high power (800w) for 6 to 8 minutes. Open the microwave once in 2 minutes and stir it well.
Remove the lady’s finger after its cooked soft. In a small kadai, temper mustard, urad dal, cumin and curry leaves, add to the poriyal. You can add grated coconut if you like.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the lady’s finger. Pat it dry using a cloth towel. Chop into small roundels. Wash and peel the onion skin. Chop into small squares.

In a microwave safe bowl, take the chopped lady’s finger, onion, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt. Pour a tbsp of cooking oil and mix well to coat the pieces.

Microwave in high power (800w) for 2 minutes. Open the microwave and remove the bowl. Mix well. Again cook for 2 minutes.
Lady’s finger starts to cook and becomes slimy leaving out threads. Mix well and cook for 2 more minutes.

Open and mix again. Cook till sliminess goes off and lady’s finger becomes soft. It shrinks in quantity too. It took total 8 minutes for me. Time may vary based on the power of your microwave oven.

Once its cooked soft, remove. Temper mustard, urad dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves in a small kadai. Add to lady’s finger poriyal. Mix well and serve ! Optionally you can garnish the poriyal with grated coconut.

Note

You can red chilli powder instead of sambar powder.
For variations you can add one finely chopped tomato along with lady’s finger. It also helps to remove the sliminess quickly.

Try this easy vendakkai poriyal in microwave quickly and enjoy !

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This is my second post under Quinoa recipes. I had already shared Instant quinoa idli without rice. Today I have posted how to make Indian style, soft idli and crispy dosa batter with quinoa by fermentation method. As I always say, quinoa is not thinai in Tamil. Quinoa and foxtail millet/ Thinai are completely different. Quinoa should be pronounced as Keen-wah. This millet is widely available in US and abroad. In India, you can find it in organic stores in all major metropolitan cities and is available online in Amazon. It is costly though. In this quinoa idli dosa batter recipe, I have used a combination of quinoa, idli rice (Salem rice) and urad dal in the ratio of 2:1:3/4. You can try this recipe without idli rice but idli may be sticky to taste. Addition of rice helps to keep the idli non-sticky and gives a proper shape. Even though its my first attempt, I am completely happy with the output. Idli came out very well, soft and spongy with a mild nutty flavor. Idli looks pale white in color like quinoa and not pure white. I tried making dosa too. It was crispy in the sides and soft in the center. You can make thin dosa or thick uthappam adding onion, chilli as you wish. One thing you should remember about this batter is , it becomes sour quickly. After fermentation, you should refrigerate the batter till use. Also It is better to finish the batter in 2 days by making idli, dosa, uttapam or paniyaram. This idli tastes slightly sticky when hot. But it tastes perfect when eaten warm. You can serve this idli with any chutney or sambar. I had it with coconut chutney and idli podi. It was yumm ! After trying this quinoa idli successfully, I am confident of exploring more quinoa recipes. I will post it whenever I make any. Ok, now lets see how to make quinoa idli dosa batter with rice with step by step pictures.

Check out my other MILLET RECIPES too !

Quinoa idli dosa recipe

How to make quinoa idli, dosa batter recipe for healthy breakfast and dinner

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Main course

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Quinoa - 2 cups
Idli rice / Salem rice - 1 cup
White, round urad dal - 3/4 cup
Salt & water - as needed

HOW TO MAKE QUINOA IDLI

Wash and soak quinoa, idli rice, urad dal together for 7 to 8 hours.
Grind to a smooth paste in mixie or grinder adding required water.
Transfer the batter to a big vessel and ferment it over night.
Next morning batter would have doubled in quantity.
Add salt and mix well with a ladle. Grease idli plate and fill the batter.
Steam in an idli pot for 10 minutes. Check if its cooked well by inserting a wet finger.
Remove the idli plate once its done. Let it rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Then remove the idli and serve with chutney or sambar.
You can also make thin or thick dosa with this batter.

QUINOA IDLI DOSA RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the quinoa twice or thrice. Along with it add idli rice, urad dal. Wash it well. Soak them together for 7 to 8 hours.

Grind the batter in a wet grinder or mixie ( in batches) to a smooth paste adding required water. Do not add salt.

Transfer the batter to a vessel. Ferment it over night or minimum 10 hours. The next morning, batter would have doubled in quantity based on the weather. Add salt and mix the batter well with a ladle. Add little water if the batter is too thick.

Grease an idli plate with oil. Pour the batter till 3/4th of each hole. Boil water in an idli pot. Place the idli plate when the water comes to a roll boil. Steam it for 10 minutes or till cooked.

Check the idli by inserting your wet finger. If it comes out clean idli is cooked else cook for more time. Remove the idli plate from the pot and rest it for 3 minutes.

Remove the idli using a spoon and serve it with your desired chutney or sambar.
You can also make thin or thick dosa by adjusting the consistency of batter. But cook in low flame because this dosa turns brown quickly.
Enjoy !

Note

If you have quinoa flour, you can use it and mix with rice, urad dal batter.
This batter stays good upto 3 days under refrigeration.
As I told, this idli tastes slightly sticky when very hot but it becomes perfect when warm. It stays good for few hours. So you can pack for lunch box too.

Try this easy, healthy quinoa idli dosa recipe and enjoy !

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Gajar halwa / Carrot halwa using Delhi carrot was in my try list for long time. Recently I bought some fresh Delhi carrots in Reliance. I thought of trying carrot halwa and red carrot pickle with it. To begin with, I tried this easy carrot halwa recipe without khoya and condensed milk in pressure cooker for a surprise guest at home yesterday. I finished the preparation quickly under 20 minutes. It came out really well with a bright red color. We loved it very much. I served the same for Valentine’s day treat as well. Friends, do try this yummy carrot halwa using Delhi carrot easily in a pressure cooker. Don’t forget to share your feedback with me. For variations, you can use Ooty carrot instead of Delhi carrot. Cook the grated carrot in an open kadai, add condensed milk instead of sugar, milk and try it.

Do check out my beetroot halwa recipe in a pressure cooker.

Check out my other 18 halwa varieties too !

Delhi carrot halwa in a pressure cooker

Carrot halwa with Delhi carrot made eaaily in a pressure cooker.

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Sweet

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Grated carrot - 2 cups (I used 2 Delhi carrot)
Sugar - 3/4 cup ( Use 1/2 cup for mild sweetness)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Boiled milk - 1/2 cup
Salt - a pinch
Cashew nuts - Few
Ghee - 2 to 3 tbsp

HOW TO MAKE CARRTOT HALWA IN PFRESSURE COOKER

Wash and peel the outer skin of Delhi carrot. Grate it using a big holed grater.
Measure 2 cups from it. In a pressure cooker base, heat 1 tbsp ghee.
Saute carrot for 5 minutes to leave the raw smell. Add milk and a pinch of salt.
Pressure cook in high flame for 2 to 3 whistles.
Open the cooker after the steam is released. Add sugar, cardamom powder and a tsp of ghee.
Mix well in medium flame till halwa starts to leave the sides of cooker.
Lastly add ghee roasted cashews along with the remaining ghee. Mix well and serve warm with ice cream !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and peel the outer skin of Delhi carrot. Grate it using a big holed grater. Measure 2 cups from it and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker. Saute the grated carrot in medium to high flame till its raw smell leaves completely. It takes 5 to 7 minutes. Carrot changes to pale red in color. Add boiled milk( at room temperature) and a pinch of salt. Mix well.

Cover the lid. Put the weight valve. Keep the flame high and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles. Open the cooker after steam is released. Carrot becomes soft after cooking and some milk will be leftover in the bottom of cooker.

Add sugar, cardamom powder and a tsp of ghee to avoid halwa sticking to the bottom of cooker. Mix well. Carrot mixture liquifies after adding sugar. Mix in medium to high flame till the mixture becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of cooker.

Do not over cook the carrot, sugar mixture to prevent halwa becoming hard and chewy. Switch off the flame at the right time with some wetness in it. When it cools down, halwa comes to perfect consistency.

Roast cashews in the remaining ghee. Add to the halwa. Mix well and serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of sugar as per your taste.
You can replace sugar and milk with condensed milk. In that case, cook carrot adding little water.
Do not over mix the carrot after adding sugar. Halwa may become chewy and hard after cooling down.

Try this easy, yummy Carrot halwa in a pressure cooker and enjoy ! I served halwa and dry fruits mixture for my guest.

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This is mom’s Tirunelveli style puli illa kari ( i.e. Kuzhambu for rice without tamarind). Puli illa curry is usually prepared adding drumstick leaves (Murungai keerai). But my mom makes it with drumstick, brinjal and onion. There are two methods of making puli illa kari. One by roasting & grinding pepper, cumin, red chilli and coconut. Another method is by grinding coconut, cumin and onion just like poricha kuzhambu. My mom uses pepper if she adds drumstick leaves else she follows the second method. Today I have shared the same. Similarly this kuzhambu can be prepared with toor dal or moong dal. As this kuzhambu is without tamarind and tomato, we add some lemon juice while serving. Friends, do try this easy puli illa kuhambu for rice and share your feedback with me.

Check out my other Tirunelveli style recipes below :

Idi sambar for rice

Puli kulambu

Avial recipe

Sodhi and inji pachadi

Idli sambar

Collection of all Tirunelveli style recipes !

Puli illa kari - Kuzhambu without tamarind

Puli illa kari - Kuzhambu without tamarind for rice

Cuisine:Tamil nadu

Category:Side dish

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Toor dal – 1/4 cup
Water - 1 cup for pressure cooking dal
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cooking oil - Few drops for dal
Brinjal – 3 (chop vertically)
Drumstick – 1 (chop into small finger size)
Small onion – 12
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Water – 2 to 2.5 cups (for cooking vegetables)
Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Salt – as needed

To Grind

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Small onion - 2 nos.

To Temper

Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - Few

METHOD

Wash and pressure cook toor dal adding enough water, turmeric powder and few drops of oil.
Pressure cook in low flame for two whistles. Open the lid after steam is released. Mash the dal. Grind coconut, onion and cumin to smooth paste. Set aside.
Wash and chop brinjal, drumstick and onion.
In a kadai, heat oil and saute onion. Add brinjal, drumstick. Saute for a minute.
Add 2.5 cups of water, required salt, red chilli powder. Boil and cover cook till vegetables are cooked.
Now add the cooked dal and ground coconut paste. Boil for few minutes.
Temper mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add to kuzhambu and Switch off the flame.
Serve hot with rice and enjoy !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop onion, brinjal and drumstick. Wash and pressure cook toor dal adding turmeric powder, a drop of cooking oil. Cook in low flame for one whistle. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash the dal well.

Grind coconut, cumin seeds and small onion to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai. Saute small onion till transparent. Add chopped brinjal and drumstick. Saute for a minute. Now add 2 cups of water, salt and red chilli powder.

Cover the kadai and cook in medium flame till the vegetables are cooked well. Now add the cooked dal and ground coconut paste.

Boil for few minutes. Temper mustard seeds and curry leaves in 2 tsp of oil. Add to the kuzhambu. Switch off the flame.

Serve hot with rice. While serving, you can drizzle few drops of lemon juice in the kuzhambu and mix with plain rice. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of red chilli powder as per your taste.
For variations, you can add roasted and ground pepper, cumin, coconut and red chilli paste instead of red chilli powder.
If you have drumstick leaves, you can pressure cook in separately. Add to the kuzhambu along with vegetables and make it. It tastes and smells good.

Try this easy, yummy Tirunelveli style Puli illa kari and enjoy !

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Macaroni upma is an easy, interesting, Indian style macaroni recipe prepared by adding vegetables and garam masala. I never thought it tastes so good. Actually this recipe was suggested by one of my friends. When she told me to make this easy macaroni recipe for Raksha’s lunch box, I was hesitant to try it because Raksha is very fussy when it comes for her lunch box recipes. So I tried it for our Sunday breakfast as the first trial. Raksha loved it very much and told me to pack it for her school this week. Even myself and Sendhil liked it too. So this recipe is a hit in my home✌. No side dish is required for this upma. You can eat it as such. Macaroni tastes so soft, juicy and flavorful. Friends, do try this yummy macroni recipe for your family and share the feedback with me. Lets see how to make Indian style macaroni upma recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my Indian style pasta recipe, creamy white sauce pasta, Garlic spaghetti, Tomato spaghetti,tacos recipe, Indian veg quesedilla recipes !

Macaroni upma recipe

Indian style macaroni upma recipe with onion, tomato, vegetables and garam masala.

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Main course

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Macaroni - 1 cup
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Big onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste (gg paste) – 1 tsp
Ripe tomato - 2 (Finely chopped)
Capsicum - 2 tbsp (-do-)
Carrot - 1 small (-do-)
Green peas - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Tomato ketchup – 1.5 tbsp
Salt & water - as needed

HOW TO MAKE MACARONI UPMA

Boil 3 cups of water in a bowl. Add macaroni. Cook till soft.
Drain the excess water and run the macaroni under tap water to retain its shape. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion, gg paste till raw smell goes off.
Add capsicum, carrot and green peas. Add salt and saute till half cooked.
Add tomato and cook till mushy. Lastly add turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala powder.
Add some water and cover cook till vegetables are done. Lastly add tomato ketchup. Mix well.
Now add cooked macaroni, mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot and enjoy !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

In a wide bowl, boil 3 to 4 cups of water. Add a tsp of cooking oil and some salt. After the water comes to roll boil, add macaroni and mix well.

Cook in medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir it every now and then to avoid macaroni sticking to the bottom of bowl. Water spills if you cover cook. So you should cook in an open pan till its 3/4th cooked.
Last 5 minutes, you can cover and cook the macaroni in low flame to make it soft. Switch off the flame and drain the macaroni in a sieve. Remove the excess cooked water. Show the macaroni under the tap water to make it retain its shape. Set aside.

In a kadai, heat oil. Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion, curry leaves and ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell goes off.

Add capsicum, carrot and fresh or frozen green peas. Add salt and saute in medium flame till the vegetables are half cooked.

Add chopped tomato and saute till mushy. Lastly add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Saute well.

Add 1/2 cup of water. Cover the kadai with a lid. Cook till vegetables are soft. After all the water is drained, add tomato ketchup and mix well. Then add cooked macaroni. Mix and coat well in medium flame. Switch off the flame. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy eating hot for best taste !

Note

Adjust the quantity of chilli powder and garam masala powder as per your taste.
You can replace macaroni with cooked pasta.
Addition of tomato sauce helps to give a creamy base to the paste. So do not skip it.

Try this yummy Indian style macaroni upma with vegetables for your breakfast or dinner. Enjoy !

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I tried this Karamani kuzhambu for rice also known as Thatta payaru kuzhambu in Tamil (cowpeas / black eyed pea gravy in English) for the first time by getting the recipe from a friend. This kulambu recipe is with coconut and fennel seeds masala. So it was so good and flavorful just like hotel kara kuzhambu. The flavor of roasted red karamani enhanced it even better. We all loved this Kulambu. We had a satisfaction of including a healthy legume in our regular diet. My friend told me to soak the cowpeas over night and pressure cook it before adding to the kuzhambu. But I simplified the job by following my MIL’s technique of cooking karamani instantly without soaking. Yes, I roasted the karamani in some oil till its aromatic and then pressure cooked it in the kulambu itself. It was well cooked and soft to eat. Friends, if you follow this method you can make cowpeas gravy for rice under 15 minutes using a pressure cooker. I am sure you will love to see the layer of oil floating on top once you open the cooker. If you want try the same recipe by soaking and pre cooking karamani, you can try that too. In that case soak it for 3 to 4 hours in hot water. Similarly you can use white Lobia/ cowpeas or brown chana. If you like, you can pair it with any vegetables like brinjal, potato or lady’s finger. Ok, lets see how to make karamani / thatta payir kuzhambu recipe with step by step pictures.

If you want to try this kuzhambu without coconut, please check my brown chana kuzhambu for an idea. You can use karamani instead of kondakadalai.

Karamani kuzhambu / thatta payir kulambu recipe

Thatta payaru kuzhambu / Karamani kulambu recipe for rice made instantly without soaking cowpeas in an easy way using a pressure cooker.

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Kuzhambu recipes

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Cowpeas / red karamani / thattai payir - 1/2 cup
Sesame oil or cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek / Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/2 tsp
Big onion - 1 (chopped finely)
Garlic cloves – 10 no.
Curry leaves - Few
Ripe tomato - 1 (chopped finely)
Tamarind - Big gooseberry size
Sambar powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt and water - as needed

To Grind

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

HOW TO MAKE KARAMANI KUZHAMBU

Wash and keep the karamai aside. Wash and chop onion, tomato.
In a pressure cooker base, heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds, methi seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal.
Saute onion, garlic cloves and curry leaves till transparent.
Add karamani and roast for 5 minutes in low to medium flame.
Add chopped tomato and saute till mushy. Add sambar powder, salt and turmeric powder.
Saute quickly without burning. Add 1 cup of tamarind extract, ground coconut paste. Mix well.
Pressure cook in low flame for 3 to 4 whistles. Switch off the flame and remove after steam is released. Mix well and serve hot with plain rice. Enjoy !

THATTA PAYARU KULAMBU / KARAMANI KUZHAMBU RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the karamani/ cowpeas and drain the water completely. Set aside. Wash and chop onion, tomato finely. Peel garlic cloves.

Grind coconut, fennel seeds to a smooth paste adding required water. Set aside.

In a pressure cooker base, heat oil. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, methi seeds and cumin seeds. Add onion, garlic cloves and curry leaves. Saute till onion becomes transparent.

Add karamani. Roast it for 5 minutes in low to medium flame till nice aroma arises. Then add tomato and saute till mushy. (Instead of roasting karamani, you can soak it for 4 hours, pressure cook it and add to the cooker. In that case pressure cook the kuzhambu for one whistle in low flame).

Add turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt. Saute quickly. Then add 1 cup of tamarind extract. Mix well. When it comes to a boil, add the ground coconut paste. Mix well and check for taste. Add more salt and sambar powder if needed. Cover the cooker with a lid. Keep the flame high. When the steam starts to come out, put the weight valve. Reduce the flame completely low.

Cook for 3 to 4 whistles in low flame. Karamani cooks well and soft. Remove after the steam is released. You can see a layer of oil floating on top. Mix well an check for consistency of kuzhambu. If its too thick, add some water and give one boil. If its too thin, boil for few minutes to evaporate the excess water. Serve with plain rice. If you like, you can add a tsp of oil or ghee over the kuzhambu while serving. Enjoy ! Stays good for 2 days in refrigerator.

Note

For variations, you can use brown chana or white chana instead of cowpeas in this kuzhambu but soak them overnight, pressure cook and then add it.
Fennel seeds gives a nice flavor to this kuzhambu. So do not skip it.
This kuzhambu stays good in refrigerator for more than 2 days. You can store and enjoy.

Try this easy, yummy karamani kara kuzhambu and share your feedback with me !

Technorati Tags: Karamani kuzhambu,thatta payir kuzhambu,thatta payaru kulambu,karamani kuzhambu recipe,cowpeas recipes,how to make karamani kuzhambu

Palak pulao is an easy, healthy one pot rice variety that can be prepared easily under 15 minutes. Indian style Spinach rice can be prepared in many ways. Today I have shared an easy version of palak rice using a pressure cooker. I learnt it from my School moms friend Tara. This recipe is very similar to my Karnataka style veg palav recipe. To make this palak rice bright green in color, add some turmeric powder and sugar. I have added frozen green peas. You can also add mixed vegetables like carrot, beans, potato to make this rice more healthy and filling. Ok, lets see how to make palak pulao / spinach rice recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my

Palak sambar
Palak kootu
Palak chapathi
Palak paneer
Dhaba style palak paneer
Palak poori
Aloo palak gravy
Palak biryani
Andhra dal palak

Palak pulao recipe

Palak pulao recipe / Spinach rice using a pressure cooker for lunch box

Cuisine:South Indian

Category:Main course

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Basmati rice - 1 cup
Water - 1.5 cups
Cooking oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Bay leaf - 1
Black stone flower / Kalpasi - 1
Big onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Cashew nuts - Few
Green peas – 2 tbsp
Sugar - a pinch
Salt - as needed
Lemon juice - few drops

To grind

Palak leaves - 1.5 cups
Green chilli - 2 to 3
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic cloves - 5
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 1
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Big onion - 1/2
Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp

HOW TO MAKE PALAK PULAO / SPINACH PULAO

Wash and chop the palak leaves. Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.
In a mixie jar, grind palak and other ingredients given under “To Grind” to a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Saute the spices, onion and cashews.
Saute the palak masala adding sugar and salt. Add peas.
Add water and bring to boil. Add the rice and lemon juice.
Mix well and pressure cook in low flame for one whistle.
Open the cooker after steam is released. Fluff the rice and serve with onion raita !

PALAK PULAO / SPINACH PULAO - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Cut the root and stem part of palak leaves/ spinach. Wash it well. Chop roughly and set aside. Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 15 minutes. In the mean time, grind the masala.

In a mixie jar, take the palak leaves, cinnamon , cloves, cardamom, ginger, garlic, green chilli, fennel seeds, big onion and turmeric powder to a smooth paste adding water. Set aside.

Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker. Saute a bayleaf and black stone flower. Add onion and saute till transparent. Add cashews and saute for a minute.

Now add the ground palak masala paste. Saute in medium flame till its raw smell goes off. Add some sugar and required salt. Add frozen green peas and mixed vegetables (if using). Mix well.

Lastly add 1.5 cups of water and sprinkle some lemon juice. Let it come to a roll boil. Taste the water to check the salt and spices. Now add the soaked rice. Mix gently and close the lid of pressure cooker.

Keep the flame high till steam comes out of the nozzle. As soon as vapor comes out, lower the flame completely and put the weight valve. Pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. It takes nearly 8 to 10 minutes. Switch off the flame. Open the lid after the steam is released. Fluff the rice gently with a fork like ladle. Serve hot with onion raita.

Note

Adjust the quantity of green chilli as per your taste.
To retain the green color of rice, add some turmeric powder and sugar.
Do not keep the palak puree for long time. Use it as soon as you grind the masala to avoid discoloration.

Easy, yummy, one pot palak pulao is ready, Enjoy !

Technorati Tags: Palak pulao,palak palav,palak rice,spinach pulao,spinach palav,spinach rice,palak recipes,spinach recipes

I must thank my MIL for teaching me how to make soft idli batter with ration rice (Ration arisi). For the past 2 years my in-laws are getting ration rice (both idli rice/ puzhungal arisi and raw rice / pacharisi) regularly in Salem, Tamil nadu. Most of the people avoid using ration rice/ idli rice because it looks pale yellow in color with lots of dirt, sometimes with worms too. Cleaning itself is a big deal. But my MIL does everything patiently and gives me few kgs whenever we visit Salem. After trying so many combinations, my MIL is fixed with this ratio of rice and dal (6:1) to make soft idli and crispy dosa batter. So I too follow the same and get good results every time. The biggest problem with ration rice idli is its pale color, sticky in texture with musty smell (We call it as Oora naatham in Tamil). To avoid this & to get white colored idli without any smell, we must wash the rice at least 5 to 6 times before soaking and thrice after soaking. Similarly the quality of ration rice keeps changing. Based on that we make idli dosa in two ways by changing the ratio of rice and dal. I have given both of them below. You can follow the ratio of 6:1 (rice : urad dal) if you use grinder. If you want to use our Indian mixie for grinding the batter, use 4:1 ratio. I hope this post will help the people who are using ration rice for the first time. By following this recipe, you can make soft idli, crispy dosa, paniyaram, uthappam and appam with the same batter. Ok, lets move on to the recipe below.

Check out my 15+ idli varieties if you are interested !

How To make Idli Using Ration Rice

How to make soft idli and crispy dosa batter with ration rice

Cuisine:Tamil

Category:Breakfast

Serves:30

Prep time:12 Hours

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:12H10 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Ration idli rice / Puzhungal arisi - 3 cupsOR Ration idli rice + ration raw rice – 1.5 cups each
White, round urad dal - 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt & water - as needed

HOW TO MAKE RATION RICE IDLI

Wash the ration idli rice 5 to 6 times to remove the dust. Soak for 4 to 5 hours adding fenugreek seeds. Wash and soak urad dal for 1 hour.
Drain the soaked water and wash twice again to remove the bad smell of rice.
Grind the rice to a smooth paste adding clean water. Remove the rice batter in a big vessel.
Grind the soaked urad dal adding required water. Add water gradually and make smooth, fluffy batter.
Add to the rice batter and mix with your hands. Ferment it over night or minimum 12 hours.
The next day, add salt and mix the batter well. Make idli in a plate and steam it for 10 to 15 minutes. Rest it for 5 minutes and then remove the idli.
To make dosa, take the required batter in a vessel. Add little water. Spread thin dosa in a pan and cook till done. Fold and remove. Serve soft idli and crispy dosa with chutney , sambar. Enjoy !

RATION RICE IDLI - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash the ratio idli rice 5 to 6 times thoroughly with your hands till the water becomes clear without any debris or dust. Remove the husk, black particles while washing the rice. Discard it.
Soak the rice in enough water for 4 to 5 hours. Color of the rice becomes white after soaking. To avoid the musty smell from the rice, again wash the soaked rice twice or thrice before grinding.
Wash and soak urad dal + fenugreek seeds for 2 hours.
After soaking, rice looks white in color. Now drain the soaked water to remove the musty smell in rice. Wash it twice or thrice based on the smell. Add fresh, clean water and grind to a smooth paste. It takes 25 to 30 minutes approx for grinding. ( If you have the practice of grinding dal first, you can grind the urad dal and then rice).

Remove the rice batter in a big vessel. Do not add salt while grinding rice If you live in cold countries. ( Salt delays fermentation). Grind the soaked urad dal to a fluffy, spongy batter by sprinkling water gradually. It takes 20 minutes approx.

Mix the urad dal batter with rice batter with your hands. (Do not add salt If you live in cold countries or during winter season because salt delays fermentation process. If you are in hot place or during summer season, you can add salt in the batter while mixing or grinding.)

Close the vessel with a lid. Let the idli batter ferment over night or minimum 12 hours. The next morning, batter would have become sour and raised well or sometimes doubled based on the weather.

The next morning add salt if you haven’t added it. Mix the batter well. Check the batter consistency. Add little water if the batter is too thick. Grease idli plate with oil. Pour the batter. Keep the idli plate over the boiling water in idli pot. Steam it for 10 to 15 minutes. Switch off the flame. Remove the idli plate and rest it for 5 minutes. Then take the idli using a small ladle or spoon.

To make dosa, take the required batter in a bowl. Add little water to adjust the consistency. Spread thin or thick dosa as you like on a hot dosa pan. Cook both sides, fold and remove.

Note

You can either use idli rice alone or ration idli rice + ration raw rice in equal quantities. Both works for me.
The ratio of rice and dal is 6:1.

Try this soft idli batter using ration rice at home and enjoy with your favorite chutney and sambar !

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Sorakkai sambar / Bottle gourd sambar with freshly ground spices (Arachuvitta sorakkai sambar in Tamil) is an yummy, flavorful sambar recipe for rice. I have never tried varieties of sorakkai recipes for rice apart from paal kootu , Poricha kuzhambu, sorakkai dosai and poriyal. When I heard about this sorakka sambar from my neighbor, I was tempted to give a try. Basically bottle gourd is a bland vegetable. It doesn’t have any appealing flavor or taste. But its a healthy vegetable with lots of benefits. It has more water content which helps for weight loss, provides cooling effect to body, reduces liver inflammation, treats constipation etc. So I try to include this veggie atleast once in a week in my diet. For this sambar instead of following my usual sambar recipe, I added Tamil brahmin style arachuvitta sambar masala by roasting and grinding the spices, chilli and coconut. It came out very well with an awesome aroma. We loved this sambar very much. In Karnataka, my friends make Sorakkai sambar in a different way by adding a different masala. Soon I will try to learn from them and make a post. Now lets see how to make Tamilnadu style sorakkai sambar recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my other sambar varieties for rice.

Also check out my 70+ kuzhambu recipes !

Sorakkai Samabr / Bottle gourd sambar recipe

Arachuvitta Sorakkai sambar / Bottle gourd sambar for rice with freshly ground masala.

Cuisine:Tamil nadu

Category:Sambar

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Toor dal - 1/3 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cooking oil - few drops
Bottle gourd - 1/2 ( Cut into big chunks)
Big onion - 1 (Chop into cubes)
Tomato - 1 (Chop into cubes)
Green chilli – 1 (slit into two)
Curry leaves - Few
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind - Big gooseberry size
Sambar powder – 1/2 tsp (Optional, Use any brand or homemade)
Salt & water - as needed

To roast and grind

Cooking oil - 2 tsp
Coriander seeds / dhania - 1 tbsp
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli - 6
Raw rice - 1/2 tsp
Hing - 2 pinches
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp

To Temper

Ghee - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - Few
Coriander leaves - to garnish

HOW TO MAKE SORAKKAI SAMBAR

Wash and peel the skin of sorakkai / bottle gourd. Cut into two and chop the spongy portion. Discard it. Chop sorakkai into big cubes and set aside.
In a pressure cooker, take the toor dal, chopped bottle gourd, onion, tomato, green chilli, cumin seeds, required water and a drop of cooking oil. Cook for 1 whistle in very low flame. Mash the dal gently and set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Roast all the items given under “To roast and grind”. Grind to smooth paste.
To the cooked dal add tamarind extract, ground masala paste, salt and some water.
Roll boil for 5 minutes till nice aroma wafts. Temper in ghee and add to sambar. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice !

SORAKKAI SAMBAR RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water. Wash the bottle gourd and peel its outer skin using a peeler. Cut into two pieces and remove the center, spongy part using a knife and hands. Discard the soft part with seeds. Now chop the sorakkai into big pieces as we are making sambar with it. For poriyal or kootu, you can chop it finely.

In a pressure cooker base, take toor dal, chopped bottle gourd, chopped big onion, tomato, slit green chilli, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, required water and a drop of cooking oil. Keep the flame high and cook till steam starts to come out of the nozzle. As soon as steam comes out, lower the flame completely and put the weight valve. Let it pressure cook in very low flame for one whistle. It may take 8 to 12 minutes depending on the size of cooker. (If you use small sized cooker, keep it in small burner gas stove. For bigger sized cooker, use big burner.). Open the cooker lid after the steam is released on its own. Mash the dal gently with a ladle. Make sure you don’t mash the sorakkai pieces.

While pressure cooking, you can roast the ingredients for sambar masala. For this, heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai. Roast chana dal, urad dal, red chilli, methi seeds, coriander seeds and raw rice. Roast in medium flame till dal turns golden brown. Do not burn any ingredient. After roasting, grind everything to a smooth paste adding coconut and water.

Add 1 cup of tamarind extract, sambar powder (optional), ground sambar masala paste to the cooked dal. Adjust the consistency of sambar by adding water. Add required salt. Let the sambar roll boil for few minutes till nice aroma wafts through your house. Add little water based on the thickness of sambar. Switch off the flame and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Last but not the least do the tempering part. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a small kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves and add to sambar. Mix well and close with a lid. Give a standing time of 30 minutes to 1 hour for best taste and flavor.

Mix this sambar with plain rice. Do not forget to add few drops of ghee while serving !(This sambar thickens as it cools down. So add some water, give a boil and serve hot whenever needed). Enjoy !

Note

Do not chop sorakkai into small pieces. It gets mashed up while pressure cooking. So use big pieces.
Adjust the quantity of red chilli as per your spice level.
This sambar thickens over time. So you should add water whenever needed, give a boil and serve hot.
Addition of sambar powder is optional in arachuvitta kuzhambu. But I use little.
Do not forget to temper in ghee for more flavor.

Try this yummy sorakkai arachuvitta sambar and share your feedback with me.

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This is a simple ellu podi recipe that tastes great with plain rice, idli, dosa. I learnt this sesame seeds powder recipe / til powder from my MIL. It needs just 2 ingredients. Usually we make ellu sadam for festivals like Aadi 18, Kaanum pongal. But that is a different recipe using black sesame seeds, urad dal and coconut. Please check it HERE. Recently when my MIL visited my house, I told her to prepare 5 podi varieties for rice and took videos. She prepared coconut podi, paruppu podi, sundakkai podi, paruppu podi and ellu podi. I will share the recipes one by one in my space. To begin with here is an easy ellu podi for rice. I used white sesame seeds in this recipe. You can also use black sesame seeds. This podi stays good for more than 10 days if you store properly with clean handling. Friends, do try this yummy ellu podi recipe for rice and enjoy.

Do check out my Ellu kozhukattai recipe for Ganesh chaturthi, Sesame seeds gun powder / ellu podi for idli, dosa and Tirunelveli style ellu thogayal for urad dal rice.

Ellu podi for rice

Ellu podi / white sesame seeds powder recipe for rice, idli, dosa

Cuisine:Tamil nadu

Category:Side dish

Serves:1/3 cup

Prep time:5 Minutes

Cook time:10 Minutes

Total time:15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

White sesame seeds / Vellai ellu - 1/2 cup
Red chilli - 3 to 4 (adjust )
Salt - as needed

HOW TO MAKE ELLU PODI

Heat a kadai and dry roast the sesame seeds and red chilli till seeds splutter.
Remove in a plate and cool down.
Add required salt and grind to a powder.
Do not grind for long time as sesame seeds leaves oil.
Remove in a box, use clean spoon. Stays good for 10 days.
Mix with plain rice adding sesame oil or ghee. Enjoy !

ELLU PODI RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Heat a kadai and dry roast sesame seeds and red chilli in medium flame. Saute till sesame seeds starts to splutter. Make sure it doesn’t burn. Switch off the flame and cool down.

Add required salt. Grind to a fine powder. Do not run the mixie continuously for long time because sesame seeds release oil and it becomes a paste. So grind to a fine powder carefully. Remove in a box and close with a lid. Use a clean spoon for handling.

You can mix this powder with plain rice adding few drops of ghee or gingely oil. If you like, you can have it with idli, dosa too.

Note

Adjust the quantity of red chili as per your taste.
You can use black sesame seeds instead of white ones.
Do not grind the mixie for long time to avoid becoming paste.
For variations, you can grind a garlic clove for additional flavor.

Try this easy, yummy flavorful ellu podi for rice and enjoy !

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20 Tomato chutney recipes / Tomato chutney varieties list - Tomato based chutney is my most favorite among all the chutney recipes I make in my kitchen. So I love to try varieties of tomato chutney recipes for idli dosa I come across in cookbooks, TV shows, friends and relatives. Here I have made a collection of 20 tomato chutney varieties starting from easy tomato chutney recipe to tomato chutney recipe without onion garlic, tomato thokku recipes , green tomato chutney etc. I have also shared a tomato garlic chutney for roti. All these recipes tastes great with idli, dosa, paniyaram, pongal and appam. Friends, do check out this collection and try your favorite. Don’t forget to share your feedback with me. Lets see the list of tomato chutney recipes for idli, dosa below.

Check out my

65 chutney recipes for idli , dosa.

15 chutney recipes/ thogayal for rice.

15 idli varieties

30 Idli sambar recipes

20 side dish for poori

20 Kurma varieties for roti, poori, idli, dosa

70 Kuzhambu recipes for rice

TOMATO CHUTNEY VARIETIES

EASY TOMATO CHUTNEY

TOMATO MINT CHUTNEY

TOMATO CHANA DAL CHUTNEY

TOMATO FRIED GRAM DAL CHUTNEY / THAKKALI POTTUKADALAI CHUTNEY

TOMATO GINGER CHUTNEY

TOMATO GARLIC CHUTNEY

SPICY TOMATO CHUTNEY FOR DOSA

TOMATO CHUTNEY WITHOUT ONION GARLIC

BOILED TOMATO CHUTNEY

TOMATO PEANUT CHUTNEY

HOTEL KARA CHUTNEY

TOMATO GARLIC CHUTNEY FOR ROTI

KADAMBA CHUTNEY

VEGETABLE CHUTNEY WITH TOMATO

RAW TOMATO CHUTNEY

GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY

TOMATO THOKKU WITHOUT ONION

TOMATO THOKKU IN PRESSURE COOKER

TOMATO THOKKU WITH ONION, GARLIC

Technorati Tags: Tomato chutney recipe,tomato chutney recipes,tomato chutney varieties,tomato chutney for idli,tomato chutney for dosa,tomato chutney,chutney recipes,chutney varieties

Usually we make vendakkai puli kulambu for rice without coconut. Its my MIL’s recipe. Recently I tried this vendakkai kara kuzhambu with coconut just for a change. It came out so good and flavorful with all the masala. I followed Madras samayal Youtube channel’s recipe and modified slightly as per my taste. I added more lady’s finger and had it as side dish without making any. If you want to make any side dish, you can try keerai kootu, chow chow kootu or cabbage kootu. Ok friends, lets see how to make vendakkai kara kuzhambu with coconut, fennel seeds masala with step by step pictures.

Vendakkai kara kuzhambu / Lady's finger kara kulambu

Vendakkai kara kuzhambu / Lady's finger kara kulambu for rice

Cuisine:Tamil nadu

Category:Kuzhambu

Serves:Serves 3

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Lady's finger / Vendakkai - 12 to 15 nos.
Small onion or big onion - 10 / 1
Ripe tomato - 1
Tamarind - small lemon size
Sambar powder or kuzhambu milagai thool - 1 to 1.5 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt & water - as needed

To temper and saute

Sesame oil / Gingely oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/ 2 tsp
Methi seeds / Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - Few

To Grind

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Small onion / Big onion - 2 / 1/4th
Garlic cloves - 2
Fennel seeds or cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

HOW TO MAKE VENDAKKAI KARA KUZHAMBU

Wash and chop lady’s finger into 2 inch cubes, chop onion, tomato. Soak tamarind in water. Take the extract.
Grind coconut and other ingredients to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard, cumin, methi seeds and curry leaves.
Saute chopped vendakkai till its half cooked. Then add onion, tomato and saute till tomato becomes mushy.
Now add sambar powder, turmeric powder, salt and saute in medium flame without burning.
Add tamarind extract. Boil till lady’s finger is cooked well.
Lastly add coconut paste, boil and simmer for few minutes till oil separates.
Remove and serve hot with rice.

VENDAKKAI KARA KUZHAMBU - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop lady’s finger / vendakkai into 2 inch cylinder shape. Wash and chop onion, tomato into small pieces.

Heat gingely oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds and curry leaves. Saute chopped vendakkai till its half cooked.

Add chopped onion, tomato and saute till tomato becomes mushy. Add turmeric powder, sambar powder / Kuzhambu milagai thool, salt. Saute well for a minute.

Add 1 cup of tamarind extract and cover cook in low flame till lady’s finger is cooked well.

Grind coconut mixture to a smooth paste. Add the paste to the kuzhambu, add required water and boil the gravy in medium flame till raw smell vanishes.

Simmer the kuzhambu till oil starts to float in the sides. Switch off the flame and serve with plain rice. Add a few drops of gingely oil or ghee while serving. It gives a nice taste.

Note

You can use brinjal instead of lady’s finger.
For variations, you can use cumin seeds instead of fennel seeds.
You can use any brand sambar powder or kuzhambu milagai thool. I used my homemade sambar powder.

Try this easy, yummy vendakkai kara kuzhambu and enjoy with plain rice !

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I learnt this kara dosai recipe / Toor dal dosa from my friend Shalini. She shared her mom’s recipe with me. This karam dosa looks similar to adai / mixed dal dosa but its different in ingredients and taste. Also the batter needs fermentation. So this dosa cannot be prepared instantly like adai. Idli rice, dosa rice / raw rice and toor dal are the base ingredients for this dosa recipe. It is prepared without urad dal. You can make both super crispy dosa and thick dosa with this batter. But this dosa batter becomes sour quickly. So its better to use it within 2 days by refrigerating the batter. Ok, lets see how to make this yummy, colorful kara dosai also known as toor dal dosa with step by step pictures.

Check out my other dosa varieties too !

Kara dosai recipe / Toor dal dosa recipe

How to make kara dosa / toor dal dosa recipe with step by step pictures.

Cuisine:Indian

Category:Dosa varieties

Serves:20

Prep time:10 Hours

Cook time:5 Minutes

Total time:10H5Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 250ml

Idli rice / parboiled rice - 1 cup
Dosa rice / Raw rice - 1 cup
Toor dal - 1 cup
Red chilli - 10 to 12
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Tamarind - small piece
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafetida - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as needed
Cooking oil - to drizzle over dosa

HOW TO MAKE KARA DOSAI

Wash and soak rice and toor dal together for 4 hours.
In a big mixie jar, grind red chilli, coconut, tamarind, salt and hing.
Add rice + dal and grind in batches to a smooth batter adding enough water.
Mix the batter with hands and ferment overnight or 8 hours.
Make thin or thick dosa as you wish. Serve with coconut chutney or jaggery !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

In a wide bowl, take the rice + toor dal. Wash it twice. Add enough water and soak them together for 4 hours.

In a big sized mixie jar, take the red chilli, grated coconut, tamarind, cumin seeds, hing and salt. Grind to a coarse powder.

Add soaked rice + dal and grind in batches to a smooth paste. Mix all the batter together using your hands. Keep the batter covered. Ferment overnight or 8 to 12 hours depending on the weather.

The next morning mix the batter. Add little water if needed and bring to dosa batter consistency.

Heat a dosa pan. Pour a ladleful of batter. Spread the batter to thin or thick dosa as you like. Drizzle a tsp of oil around the dosa. Cook for few minutes till golden in the bottom.

Flip the dosa and cook the other side too. Remove the dosa and serve hot with coconut chutney.

Note

Adjust the quantity of red chillies as per your taste.
You can use either dosa rice or raw rice (Sona masoori) for lunch.
If you want you can reduce the quantity of toor dal to 3/4 cup.

Try this yummy kara dosai and enjoy !

Technorati Tags: kara dosa,kara dosai recipe,kara dosai,toor dal dosa,toor dal dosa recipe,dosa varieties

I wanted to try arachuvitta sambar without dal for long time. My friend told it tastes great for both rice and idli. So I wanted to give a shot and I had bookmarked some YouTube videos too. Finally I tried it last week for my lunch as I was in short of toor dal in my kitchen. This is more like Tamil brahmin’s style varuthu aracha kuzhambu / arachuvitta kulambu for rice but without using dal. You don’t need to use toor dal or moong dal in this recipe. The aroma of freshly roasted and ground spices is the highlight for this sambar recipe. It helps to give great flavor and thickness to this sambar. Not only dal, less tamarind and coconut is used in this recipe. When you feel bored of the regular paruppu sambar for rice, you can try this. If you want to avoid dal in your diet for health reasons, you can make this kuzhambu. As I prepared this with mixed vegetables like carrot, beans, potato, chayote, brinjal it came out very flavorful, tasty and healthy. You can also add drumstick, lady’s finger, turnip if you like. You can also prepared this masala powder in advance and make this sambar instantly. Bachelors and working women would find it helpful. Friends , do try this sambar recipe without dal and enjoy with rice. I personally liked it with idli, dosa too !

Check out my brahmin style arachuvitta sambar, no onion no garlic udupi sambar, brahmin style potato curry, brahmin style vatha kuzhambu

Arachuvitta sambar without dal for rice

Arachuvitta sambar without dal for rice adding mixed vegetables.

Cuisine:Tamil nadu

Category:Side dish

Serves:Serves 4

Prep time:10 Minutes

Cook time:20 Minutes

Total time:30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml

Mixed vegetables - 1 cup ( 1 carrot, 5 beans, 1 potato, 1/2 chayote, 2 brinjals)
Big onion - 1 (Chopped)
Ripe tomato - 1
Tamarind – Big gooseberry size
Sambar powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Hing/Asafetida - 2 pinches
Salt & water - as needed

To roast and grind

Cooking oil - 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds / Dhania - 1 tbsp
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Methi seeds/ Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 5 leaves
Red chilli - 4 ( I used Kashmiri chilli/ Byadgi chilli for bright red color)
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Raw rice – 1/2 tsp

To Temper

Ghee – 2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - Few

HOW TO MAKE SAMBAR WITHOUT DAL FOR RICE

Wash and chop all the vegetables into cubes. Set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and roast all the ingredients given under ‘To roast’. Lastly add coconut, roast for a minute. Grind to a powder. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Saute onion,curry leaves and mixed vegetables.
Add tomato and saute till mushy. Add turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and tamarind extract.
Lastly add the ground powder, mix well. Add some water if needed.
Pressure cook for one whistle in low flame. Temper mustard seeds in ghee and add to sambar. Garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy with plain rice !

SAMBAR WITHOUT DAL FOR RICE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop vegetables, onion, tomato and set aside. Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water. Heat oil in a kadai. Roast chana dal, coriander seeds, red chilli, methi seeds, cumin seeds, raw rice in low flame till nice aroma arises. Lastly add curry leaves , grated coconut. Saute for a minute. Switch off the flame. Grind to a powder. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker base. Saute onion few curry leaves, mixed vegetables. Then add tomato and saute till mushy.

Add salt, turmeric powder, sambar powder. Saute well. Add 1 cup of tamarind extract. Add the freshly ground masala powder too.

Mix well. If the kuzhambu is too thick, add 1/2 cup more water. Pressure cook everything in very low flame for one whistle. For this, keep the flame high till steam comes out. As soon as steam starts to come off, reduce the flame to completely low.

Pressure cook in low flame for one whistle. Switch off the flame. Remove the lid after steam is released. Mix well and see the consistency of kuzhambu. If thick, add some water, check for salt and boil for a minute. If fine, you can do the tempering part.

For tempering , heat ghee in a small kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves and cumin seeds. Add to the sambar and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves. Close the bowl with a lid. Give a standing time of 30 minutes to 1 hour for best taste. Tastes great the next day. So you can refrigerate and use this kuzhambu for 2 to 3 days.

Note

Adjust the quantity of red chillies as per your taste. I used byadgi chillies which gives bright color but tastes less spicy.
Flavor of this sambar varies based on the red chilli.
Addition of rice in the masala helps to give thickness to the kuzhambu. You can skip it too.

Try this yummy arachuvitta sambar without dal. Enjoy with plain rice adding a tsp of ghee !

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