Peas Pulav

2 cups basmati rice
3 1/2 cups water
5 garlic pods
1 piece ginger
or 2 tsp ginger/garlic paste
handful of mint
handful of cilantro
< 1/2 cup shredded frozen coconut
4 green chilies
3 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 cardamon
1 1/2 cup sliced onions
3 tsp lemon or lime juice
3/4 cup frozen peas
salt
oil
ghee

Soak the rice in water (3/12 cups) with 1 tsp salt and cook in rice cooker. In a separate pan, add oil and when hot, add shredded coconut, green chilies and cook until the rawness is gone. Then add the ginger and garlic. After 1 minute, add the cilantro and mint leaves. Cook until wilted. After it cools, grind it. Wash the grinder out with 2 tablespoons of water and set the water aside.

In a pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 tablespoons of ghee. When hot, add the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamon and fry until brown. Add onions and fry until translucent. Add the peas and cook until the rawness is gone. Then add the mint paste and the 2 tablespoons of wash water, 1 tsp of salt, lime or lemon juice. After the raw smell is gone, then add the rice and mix well. Serve with raita.

Peanut and Tomato Chutney (Amma's recipe)

1/2 cup peanuts (ready made and unsalted)
1/2 tomato, diced
Red chili
1 tsp urad dahl
salt
1/8 tsp tamarind paste
hing
dessicated coconut (optional)
split chana dahl (optional)


In a pan on medium heat, add oil. Add red chili and then add urad dahl and fry until dahl is golden brown. Then add tomato and fry. Lastly, add peanuts for a most roasted taste. Let it cool down.

In a blender, add the peanut/tomato mixture, salt, tamarind paste, garlic (optionally, can roast and add), and hing. Optionally, can add desiccated coconut and/or split chana dahl. Goes well with idli

Palak Paneer

16 oz frozen chopped spinach
1/2 a diced onion
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon Red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
Handful of frozen Paneer (ready made)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Microwave spinach for about 10 minutes. In a
pan, add oil. When hot, add onions and fry. Add ginger and garlic. Then add spinach, salt to taste, chili and pepper powder and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until raw taste is gone. Set aside and let it cool down. Add to blender and blend until smooth or desired consistency.

Thaw paneer if necessary and soak in warm water for a minute until soft. In a pan, add oil and when hot, add cumin seeds until lightly browned. Add to paneer mixture and add lastly add paneer. Goes well with chapathi.

Glossary of Spices and Herbs

English Tamil

Mustard -Kadugu
Cumin- Jeeragam
Fennel -Perumjeeragam/Sombu
Fenugreek- Vendhayam
Dry Red Chilli- Kaintha Milagai
Black peppercorns- Milagu
Corrainder seeds -Thaniya/Malli vidai
Sesame seeds- Ellu
Tymol seeds -Omam
Poppy seeds -Kasa Kasa
Bay leaf -Talishapattiri/Brinji elai
Cinnamon -Pattai
Cardamon -Yelakkai
Cloves -Krambu/Lavangam
Nutmeg- Jathikai
Mace- Jathipoo
Jawa peppercorn- Valmilagu/Thippili/Sinamilagu
Star Anise- Magambhu/Natchathira jeeragam /Anisu
Black Stone flower- Kalpasi
Asafoetida -Perungayam
Turmeric- Manjal
Tamarind- Puli
Saffron- Kungumapoo
Jaggery- Vellam
Mint- Pudhina
Corrainder leaves- Kothamalli
Curry Leaves- Karuveppilai
Spinach- Pasalai Keerai
Fennugreek- Vendhiya Keerai
Amarnath spined- Mulla Keerai
Agathi leaves- Agathi Keerai
Amarnath- Thandu Keerai
Sorrel leaves- Pulicha Keerai
Drumstick leaves- Murunga elai
Basil- Tulasi

TIPS:

Cut up onions for the week and store in the refrigerator

Make the idli/dosai dough for the week and then you have the option of either idli, dosai or idli uppuma or pongalam or utthapam, etc.

For the tomoto chutney, use the petite diced tomatoes in a can. Works great.

If not specifically stated, I’m using a rice cup to measure 1 cup

Make sure to cook the onion well before adding the tomotoe. The more roasted taste the better.

Adding salt to tomatoe will bring out the water.

300 grams = 1 ½ cups (rice cup)

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

Ingredients:

2 (14-oz packages gingerbread mix)
1 (5.1 oz) box cook-and server vanilla pudding mix
1 (30 oz) can pumpkin pie filling
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/3 tsp ground cardamom or cinnamon
1 (12 oz) container frozen whipped topping
½ cup gingersnaps, optional

Directions:

Bake the gingerbread according to the package directions; cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare the pudding and set aside to cool. Stir the pumpkin pie filling, sugar and cardamom into the pudding. Crumble 1 batch of gingerbread into the bottom of the large pretty bowl. Pour ½ of the pudding mixture over the gingerbread, pudding, and whipped topping. Sprinkle of the top with crushed gingersnaps, if desired. Refrigerate overnight. Trifle can be layered in a punch bowl.

Pound Cake (Paula Deen)

Ingredients:

½ pound (2 sticks) butter, plus more for pan
½ cup vegetable shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
½ tsp fine salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar, a little at a time. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk, starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Mix in vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and avke for 1 to 1 ½ hours until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Kaseri

Ingredients:

Sooji (tapioca flour)
Raisins
Water (1 rice cup)
White Sugar (3/4 rice cup)
Yellow food coloring
½ tsp vanilla
½ stick of butter

Directions:

Roast tapioca flour in flat pan. Empty into silver bowl. Roast raisins until plum. Add water and white sugar, yellow food coloring and vanilla. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add sooji into pan and stir until there are no lumps. Add butter and mix until the entire mixture does not stick to the pan.

Mango Ice Cream

1 tin Mango Pulp
11/2 - 2 cups sugar
8 oz Cool whip - fat free if you prefer
1 pint heavy whipping cream.

Kara Dosai

Ingredients:

1 cup idli rice1 ½ packets of frozen Idiappam (thawed in microwave in 30 second intervals)
1 ½ Onion, diced finely
1 tomatoe, diced finely
½ cup Green peas (if frozen, cook in microwave for 5 minutes)
½ cup Carrots(if frozen, cook in microwave for 5 minutes)
½ tsp ginger/garlic paste
Cilantro

Directions:

Heat oil and add onions until cooked, then add ginger/garlic paste. Next add tomatoe and vegetables until cooked together. Add idiappam. Then add red chili powder, salt to taste. Take off the heat and add cilantro

Idiappam Upma

Ingredients:

1 ½ packets of frozen Idiappam (thawed in microwave in 30 second intervals)
1 ½ Onion, diced finely
1 tomato, diced finely
½ cup Green peas (if frozen, cook in microwave for 5 minutes)
½ cup Carrots(if frozen, cook in microwave for 5 minutes)
½ tsp ginger/garlic paste
Cilantro

Directions:

Heat oil and add onions until cooked, then add ginger/garlic paste. Next add tomato and vegetables until cooked together. Add idiappam. Then add red chili powder, salt to taste. Take off the heat and add cilantro

Adai

Ingredients:

1 c. rice
¼ c. Chana Dahl
¼ c. urad dahl
¼ C. toovar Dahl
2 red chilies
2 hot green chilies
¾ c. water
1/8 tsp. asafetida
Salt to tast
¼ c. vegetable oil

Directions:


Mix rice and dhals together and soak in water for 3 hours. In a blender, grind the mixture of rice and dahls with the green and red chilies, adding about ¾ cup of water. The mixture should not be ground finely. It should be of a coarse nature and a thicker consistency. Mix asafetida and salt with it. The batter should not need to be fermented.

In a pan, add oil and fry some mustard seeds, urad dahl and chana dahl. Add to the adai batter. Adai can be made as soon as the batter is ready. Over medium heat, brush the griddle with oil. Pour 1/3 cup of batter over the griddle and spread it around. It should be thicker than Dosai. When golden brown, turn it over to cook the other side. Take it out of the griddle and serve hot. Makes about 8 adais.

Ingredients:

3 ¼ c. water
1/4 c. moong dhal
3/4 c. rice
1 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
1 tsp. black pepper (whole ones)
20 cashew nuts
1 tsp. cumin seeds
Ginger
Asafetida

Directions:

Add 3 cups of water with moong dahl, rice and salt and cook it on the stove over medium heat. When the mixture becomes soft and all the water is gone, take it out of the stove. If you cook it in a pressure cooker it will be cooked in 5 minutes. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the pepper to it and sauté. Add the cashew nuts. As soon as pepper burst out and cashews turn golden brown, remove the pan from the stove and pour the mixture into the cooked rice and moong dhal.

Yellow Rice

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice
1 can coconut milk
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp turmeric
Cashews
Raisins
Cinnamon stick
2 tsp Ginger and garlic paste
½ onion
4 pieces cardamom
4 cloves
2 tbsp ghee

Directions:

Wash rice well and drain. Heat ghee, roast raisins and cashews. Remove from ghee. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, onions, garlic/ginger paste. Fry to lite brown color. Add rice, turmeric, salt and continue to fry. Add 3 cups coconut milk, 1 cup water (rice cup measurement). Bring to a boil, simmer 20 minutes. Garnish with nuts, raisins, cilantro, fried onions, pistachios or even boiled eggs

Tomato Rice

Ingredients:

Fennel
1 Cinnamon stick
3 cloves
2 cardamom
1 onion
2 green chilies
Ginger/garlic paste
4 roam tomatoes
Turmeric
½ red chili powder
Salt
2 cups rice
4 cups water

Directions:

In a pan, add fennel, cinnamon stick (patta), cloves and cardamom and fry. Add onions and green chilies, ginger/garlic paste, tomatoes, turmeric, and red chili powder and salt. Add ½ cup of water and bring to boil. In the rice cooker, add washed 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water. Add the tomato gravy. Tip: adjust the salt at this stage or it will be very difficult to salt the cooked rice.

Yogurt Rice

Yogurt Rice I

Ingredients:

Green Chilies
Diced Ginger
Urad Dahl
Mustard seeds
Asafetida

Directions:

In oil, fry green chilies, diced ginger, urad dahl, mustard seeds and asafetida

Yogurt Rice II

Ingredients:

1 c. rice
2 ½ c. water
1 c. yogurt
1 c. sour cream
Salt to taste
½ tsp. mustard seeds
½ tsp. urad dahl
10 sliced pieces cucumber
10 sliced pieces tomato
1 Tbsp. oil
10 curry leaves
1 hot green pepper (cut into 2 or 3 pieces)
1/8 tsp. asafetida
1 red pepper (broken into 2 or 3 pieces)
¼ by ¼ inch fresh ginger
1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

Directions:

Cook 1 cup of rice with 2 ½ cups of water. Mix the rice with yogurt, sour cream and salt well. If you make yogurt rice in the morning to eat in the evening, you may use 1 cup of warm milk in the place of sour cream. In a fry pan, sauté mustard seeds and urad dahl in oil. When mustard seeds pop, add curry leaves, asafetida, chopped green and red pepper, ginger and coriander leaves. When the whole mixture turns into golden color remove from heat and pour it into the yogurt mixed rice. Mix well and garnish it with tomato and cucumber pieces.

Sakara Pongal

Ingredients:

½ Cup rice
¼ moong Dahl
Vellam
Ghee
Oil
Cashews
Raisins
Pinch of Cardamom powder

Directions

Soak rice and moong dahl. Add 1 ½ cups water to rice/dahl and cook in pressure cooker for 3 whistles. In a pan, add vellam and water and boil, then strain. Add to rice/dahl mixture. Add ghee and oil, cashews, raisins, cardamom powder

Note: If you don’t have vellam, use 1 ½ cup long grain rice with 3 ½ cups water and 2 ¼ cup dark brown sugar

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:

3 cups of rice
4 ¼ cups of water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
½ tsp turmeric
2 ½ Tbps lemon juice
½ chopped medium onion
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin
Pinch of asafetida
3 green chilies
Curry leaves
2 Tbsp oil

Directions:

Cook rice in a rice cooker. After cooking, add 1 tsp of oil, turmeric and lemon juice. Cover and keep.

In a pan, add 2 Tbsp of oil, mustard seeds, cumin, onion, asafetida, green chilies, curry leaves at the end.

Make a hole in the rice, add the fried spices in the bottom and cover with rice. When serving, mix spices and add roasted peanuts as garnish

Vegetable Rice

Ingredients:

2 heaps of cumin seeds
3 cloves
Mixed vegetables
¼ tsp clove powder
Onion
Tomato
Sugar
1 Cup water
3 tsp. Madras curry powder

Directions:

In oil, add 2 heaps of cumin seeds, 3 cloves, ¼ tsp clove powder and onion. Fry the onion and then add a pinch of sugar. Add tomato and fry. Add partially cooked mixed vegetables. Add 3 tsp madras curry power, 1 cup water to make a paste. Cook for 1 minute. Add cooked rice.

Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice I

Ingredients:

Red Chilies
Asafetida
Chana Dahl
Urad Dahl
Cashews
Mustard seeds
Rice
Shredded Coconut

Directions:

Cook rice in the rice cooker. Toast shredded coconut in ghee. Add curry leaves and salt. In oil, fry red chilies, asafetida, chana dahl, urad dahl, cashews and mustard seeds

Coconut Rice (II)

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
2 Tbsp. melted butter
½ tsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. urad dahl
2 tsp. chana dahl
½ tsp. cumin seeds
10 to 12 cashew nuts
3 to 4 whole green chilies or red peppers (cut into pieces
½ fresh coconut, shredded
2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Cook rice separately and let it cool for a while. In a sauce-pan, add melted butter or ghee and mustard seeds and fry in low heat until the seeds start popping. Then add urad dahl, chana dahl, cumin seed, cashew nuts, chili or pepper and fry until the dhal are light brown. Add coconut shreds and fry on low heat until the coconut is slightly brown. Always stir constantly while frying. Add salt and rice and mix well.

Brinji Rice

Ingredients:

Ghee
Cinnamon Stick
Cardamom
1 Tsp Fennel Seeds
3 to 4 Cloves
Onions, thickly sliced
2 Green Chilies
2 -3 garlic pods
Ginger
Mint (optional)
1 ½ Rice
3 cups Coconut Milk
2-3 Bay Leaves
Salt

Directions:

In a pan, add oil and ghee, cinnamon stick, cardamom, fennel, cloves and bay leaves. Then add onions, green chilies, garlic, ginger and mint. Then add Rice and fry. Next add coconut milk and salt to taste (should be lightly salty since the cooked rice will soak up the salt) Place in a rice cooker.