Corn Salad

It's rather funny how I ended up making this salad. Just as I was getting ready to mix up a Mexican Rice Salad, I suddenly decided to drop the brown rice part of it and make it just a salad, a plain one. So, Corn Salad, I called it.

Ingrdients:
Serves Two

1 cup boiled corn
1 tomato chopped finely
1 cup diced Cucumber
1 cup torn mint leaves
3-4 tbsp lemon juice
salt and Pepper to taste
Olive Oil
1 tbsp Vinegar
Generous amount of Lettuce
1 cup hung Yoghurt
1 cup sliced Olives

Method:
Mix all the above ingredients except Lettuce. Serve chilled on a bed of Lettuce.

Note:
A cup or two of cooked brown rice mixed with the above ingredients minus the Yoghurt will make for a amazing Mexican Rice Salad. To complete the Mexican taste, you could even add a cup of boiled Red Kidney Beans.

BisiBele Bath/ Sambar Rice/ Hot Lentil Rice

Just as the name suggests, it is a very traditional Udipi (a region in Karnataka) dish. Again, being the usual me, this recipe I made today has variations to suit my taste buds.

This recipe involves the grinding of a fresh masala powder . I have listed it's ingredients in portions so that, it is easier to grind a quantity depending on your needs and store the excess in an air-tight container.

Ingredients:

Serves four

10-15 baby onions peeled
4-5 beans cut to about an inch in length
1 carrot cut to thin trips for about an inch in length
1 cup peas
1 tomato diced
1 capsicum chopped lengthwise
1 cup grated coconut
1 cup tamarind pulp
1 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas)
2 cups raw rice
1 tsp Mustard seeds
5-6 Fenugreek seeds
4-5 dried red chillies
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 cup finely chopped cilantro
a handful of curry leaves
a dash of Aesofatida
Salt to taste
Oil
5-6 tbsps of Ghee/ clarified butter

For Masala:

Coriander seeds - 1 portion
Cumin seeds - 1/2 a portion
Chana Dal (deskinned split garbenzo beans) - 2 portions
Urad Dal (deskinned black lentils) - 1 portion
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 portion
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Cloves - 3 pieces
Green Cardamom - 2 pieces
Dried Red Chillies - to taste
Dry roast the above ingredients with the desired amount of dried red chillies. I have used about 12 chillies, as you can see in the picture above.  Add the chillies in the end as they tend to redden quicker. Roast them all until brownish red but take care not to burn them. Spread them and let cool. Once at room temperature, grind them very finely. If warm, there are chances for lumps to be formed while grinding and their storage capacity decreases.

Method:

Add about 3-4 tbsps of oil to a pressure cooker. Temper with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, dried red chillies, curry leaves and a aesofatida. Add the onions and saute till they turn transparent. Add tomatoes and saute it liquifies. Now add all the vegatables and toss briefly. Add coconut. Add the tamarind pulp. Now add turmeric powder, ground masala and Salt to taste. Add the toor dal and rice and mix well. Add about 10 cups of water, mix well and close the lid of the pressure cooker. Cook till the rice turn soft say for about 5-6 whistles. Once done, add ghee and mix well, mashing the rice in the process. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve hot. It is best had with Raitha and Papad or Potato chips like the ones that have been homemade here in the picture below.

Note:

The recipe described here has been based entirely in the quality of the ingrdients I use. It is bound to vary espcially when it comes to the quality of toor dal or raw rice. You might need to soak either or both accordingly in water, in advance to match the method given above. Sometimes, it is also suggested that that the dal be cooked in advance.

Aamras/ Pulp of Mango

While the name of the recipe sounds as simple as it can get, to get the desired flavour definitely calls for some directions or prior knowledge. Initially, even I used to think it is just finely pureed Mango pulp, until I made it one day and realised it din't match the flavor I was used to consuming at a Gujarathi joint. It was then that I made an effort to learn how to make it the proper way.
Well, here too, like many of my other recipes, I do not have a picture, as it was finished even before it could be served. So, I had to give the camera a miss.

Ingredients:
Serves Two

Pulp of about 4 Alphonso mangoes
1 cup milk at room temperature
Sugar to taste

Method:

The pulp of mangoes once removed with hands goes in the blender with the milk.Now filter the contents from the blender using a clean muslin cloth to remove the fibers from the fruit. Add Sugar to adjust the sweetness. Serve chilled. This can be had with Puris or Rotis too.

Note:
If the pulp of mangoes is too watery, then reduce the amount of milk. Just take care the consistency of the end product isn't too watery. It shouldn't run but at the same time, it isn't too think.

Nutella Coffee

Ingredients:

Serves One

1 cup cold milk

1 tsp Instant Coffee Powder

2-3 Nutella

Sugar to taste

1/2 tsp Vennila Essence

1 scoop of Vennila ice-cream

Ice cubes - optional

Method:

Dissolve the instant coffee powder in a 2-3 tsps of hot water. Blend this concotion, milk, sugar, Nutella and Vennila Essence in a blender. Add to a serving glass and adjust the desired chillness with some ice cubes. Garnish with a scoop of Vennila ice-cream and some instant coffee powder or/ and castor sugar.

Note:

I have used Vennila Pods instead of it's essence. To use the Pods, soak them in Vodka in a closed, air-tight container. As when you need to use, cut a piece of the pod and puree it and filter to make fresh essence of it. One average-sized Vennila Pod equalls about 3 tsps of Essence.

You could even use filter coffee decoction to make this. In that case, make coffee to your desired taste and then blend it with Nutella.

This can be served hot, just by adding hot milk instead of cold milk and by skipping the ice-cubes and ice-cream.

Inspired by the recipe I found here:

http://www.jeyashriskitchen.com/2012/05/nutella-cold-coffee-recipe.html

Capsicum Pulav

Ingrdients:

Serves Two

2 cups of Basmati Rice
1 Green Capsicum (Bell Pepper) chopped lengthwise
1 Red Capsicum chopped lengthwise
1 Yellow Capsicum chopped lengthwise
1 Onion chopped lengthwise
1 Tbsp Cumin
Oil
Salt

Method:

Soak Basmati rice in water for about 30 minutes. In a large Saucepan, add about 2 Tbsp of oil. Add Cumin and let them crackle. Add the Onions and saute till they turn transparent. Add all the chopped capsicum and saute till cooked. Keep stirring so that they are slightly crispy and not overcooked. This might take about two minutes. Now drain the water out of the Basmati rice. Add the rice into the pan and mix it well with capsicum. Add needed salt and about 4 cups of water and close the pan with its lid. Keep stirring in between and cook till all the water is absorbed. Serve hot.

Vermicelli Soup

Ingredients:
Serves Two

1 cup Vermicilli
1 Tomato diced roughly
1/2 cup Spring Onions chopped
2-3 Garlic cloves
1/2 inch Ginger roughly chopped
1 or 2 Green Chillies
8 cups Vegetable Broth
1 cup Parsley
Oil
Salt

Method:

Dry roast Vermicilli until golden. Keep stirring so it doesn't burn. Keep aside. Now on the same pan, add about 1 Tsp of oil, add the Tomatoes, Garlic, Ginger, Chillies and keep stirring until cooked. Puree this in a blender. Keep aside. Now in a pan, add about 1/2 a Tsp of oil and add the Spring Onions and Parsely. Toss  briefly and add the Puree into the pan. Now add the roasted Vermicilli and about 4 cups of Vegetable Broth. Close the pan for about 2-3 minutes or until the Vermicilli turns soft. Now add the remaining 4 cups of Vegeatble Broth and simmer briefly. Add Salt to taste and serve hot.

Note:

If this soup is going to be your meal, add about one mashed Potato just before adding the roasted Vermicilli onto the Puree.