Quick Sambar Rice

Sambar Rice is a quick Rice dish with full of veggies. It is one of the Tamil Nadu people's favourite food that can be cooked quickly and easily.

Sambar Rice is filled with proteins, vitamins and carbohydrates. Veggies are full of fiber and vitamins. It is like a full meal and it surely fills our stomach.
Sambar rice can be cooked for one pot meal, lunch or even dinner. You can take this full meal for travelling or even to office. ( For lunch)
Let us see the recipe Now :

Ingredients :

To Cook :
Rice : 1 Cup
Toor Dal : 1/2 Cup or little less
Carrots : 2 ( Medium size)
Knolkol /Kohirabi/Navilu kosu : 2
Cluster beans /Gori kai/Chavali Kodu : 100 to 150 Gr.
To Dry Roast :
Methi seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Red chilly : 5 to 6
Urid dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Channa dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Coriander seeds : 2 Tablespoons
Jeera /cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6
Ingh / Asafoetida : A little
To season :
Capsicum : 1
Cashew Nuts : 2 to 3 Tablespoons. ( 6 to 8 nuts)
Oil : 2 Teaspoons
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6 leaves.
To Add : 
Tamarind Pulp : 2 to 3 Tablespoons pulp ( Small marble size tamarind)
Turmeric powder : A little
Salt : As required
Dry ground powder
Seasoning 
Coriander leaves : 2 Tablespoons

Method : 

1. Wash and cut scrape out carrots and cut into small pieces.
2. Wash and peel off the outer layer of knolkol and cut into desired size.
3. Wash and remove the edges of cluster beans and cut into desired size.

4. Put them in a pressure cooker. Add washed toor dal. Add 1/2 Cup of water.
5. Pressure cook all the above ingredients for 2 to 3 minutes. Let it cool.
6. Wash and cook rice and keep it aside.

7. Soak tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and squeeze out the pulp. Keep it aside.
8. Dry roast all the spices one by one on low flame and dry grind once it is cooled.

9. Keep a big pan on the fire and put cooked rice, vegetables with dal.
10. Add tamarind pulp and haldi/turmeric. Add salt and mix all the ingredients nicely.
11. Add water if required and let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
12. Add dry ground fresh spice powder and mix it well. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Wash capsicum and remove its seeds from inside. Cut it into thin pieces. keep it aside.

13. Keep a pan on the fire and add oil and ghee. Add cashew nuts and fry.
14. Add mustard seeds, ingh and let mustard seeds splutter.
15. Add ingh and curry leaves . Add cut capsicum and fry till the pieces turn golden brown.

16. Shift the ready Sambar Rice to a serving dish. Add fried capsicum and seasoning mixture to Sambar rice.

Mix it well and serve with papad.

Note :

Cooking vegetables separately helps to keep the veggies crunchy. Adding more chilly to Sambar rice is optional. Adding fresh spice is optional. You can use any brand of Sambar powder instead of home prepared sambar powder.
Time : 40 Minutes 
Serves : 3 to 4 .

Serves : 3 to 4 .

Raagi /Finger Millet + Rice Flour Carrot Rotti

Rotti that too with finger millet, I have posted varieties of rotti. 
You might wonder why again rotti?

Because finger millet, though it is good for healthy many do not like finger millet because of its colour. Even our Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and South Kannadigas have no like for this wonderful grain. It is my way of making them to know, enjoy and get benefit from healthy finger millet grain.
This time I have used finger millet, very little rice flour, little wheat flour, carrots and onions.
I have used butter wrapper to spread the rotti batter, so that it can be as thin as I like and the rotti taste crispy or soft as you like it. No need to burn your hand while spreading the batter either.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients : 

Raagi /Finger Millet : 2 Cups
Rice Flour : 2 Tablespoons
Wheat Flour : 2 Tablespoons
Salt : As required
Curd : 1/2 Cup
Coconut : 1 Cup
Green chilly : 2
Ginger : 1 Tablespoon ( An inch)
Carrots : 2
Onions : 2 (Medium sized)
Coriander leaves : 1 Bundle ( Small)
Curry Leaves : 1 Handful
Jeera/Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Boiling water : 2 to 3 Cups
Oil : 5 to 6 Tablespoons/1/2 Cup

Method :

1. Take a big bowl, add Raagi/Finger Millet, rice flour, wheat flour, salt and curd.

2. Add boiling water and let it rest for 5 minutes.

3. Wash onions, carrots, coriander leaves, curry leaves.
4. Remove the outer layer of carrots and ginger. Grate it and add it to the flour.
5. Remove the outer layer of onions and wash it. Cut onions, curry leaves, coriander leaves and green chilly.
6. Put all this to the flour mixture.

7. Add grated coconut and mix all the ingredients with required water. Add normal water if required.
8. Let the rotti batter be bit loose. ( Not liquidy).

9. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Clean the pan with clean towel or kitchen tissue.
10. Take a butter paper and put a teaspoon of oil. Just spread it with your finger all over the paper.
11. Take a handful of rotti mixture and spread it with your fingers. Wet your hand in between while spreading. (Oil/water as you prefer).

12. Put a teaspoon of oil on the hot tava. Spread it around. Place the butter paper upside down. Let the rotti be on downward.
13. Slowly remove the butter paper from rotti , add oil on the top and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on low and medium flame. (Cover the rotti or the upper portion turns with white patches).

14. Turn the other side and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Now it is done.

15. Rotti is ready to serve. Serve with your choice of curry /chutney and ghee or butter.
16. Repeat the same with remaining batter.

Note :

Adding more water turns the batter liquid and you can not spread the batter easily on the butter paper. Add little more flour and make it bit thick. Use of oil or water while spreading rotti batter on butter paper is optional. (Oil gives better taste and I have used oil). Adding any other vegetables is optional. You can add dil /methi/palak leaves. Adding more chilly is optional. Cooking rotti on low flame turns the rotti hard.
Time : 40 Minutes
Serves : 4 to 5.

Carrots -Coriander leaves & Avalakki Cutlets

Cutlets are one of the yummy snack that most of the people and kids love it.  They are spicy, tasty and stomach filling. They are done in many ways. I have just tava/pan roasted the cutlets, used very little oil to shallow fry.

I have used wheat bread crumbs, carrots, coriander leaves, avalakki /poha/flattened rice to give a good bind. Cooked on tava using little oi.
No Onion and No garlic is added here.
Green chutney is also done at home and it is an easy dish.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things needed :

Carrots : 2 +  2
Coriander leaves : 1 small bunch
Bread crumbs : 1 Small bowl. ( 4 to 5 slices)
Garam Masala Powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera Powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt : As required
Jeera : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ginger : An inch
Avalakki /Flattened rice/Poha : 1 Cup
Oil : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Dry grind bread and keep it aside. (Including the sides).

2. Wash and remove the outer layer of carrots and grate 2 carrots. Cut green chilly into small pieces.
3. Wash and clean coriander leaves nicely. Cut them into very small pieces. Wash and remove the outer layer of ginger, wash it again and grate it.
4. Wash thick avalakki and remove  all the water.

5. Now take a big bowl. Add grated carrots, ginger, powdered bread and cut green chilly.
7. Add cut coriander leaves and washed avalakki. and the spices like jeera, garam masala powder and turmeric powder. Add required salt.

8. Mix all the ingredients nicely and keep it aside. Do not add any water. It mixes well with avalakki/poha and bread crumbs.
9. Kneed the mixture nicely and divide them into small portions.

10. Take small portion and give a desired shape.
11. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add some oil and place the cutlets you have done.
12. Cook them on low flame till they turn slightly golden brown. Turn the other side add oil and cook.

13. Remove from the pan and serve hot cutlets as you wish.

14 We had the cutlets with like this.
a)  Cutlets with carrot's gratings and spicy sweet and spicy chutney.

b) Cutlets with carrots and pomegranate

c) Cutlets with little fried cornflakes

d) Cutlets with all the above mixture and curd.

Note :

Little carrot gratings should be kept aside for serving with cutlets.

You can deep fry the cutlets. (optional). You can use more oil and shallow fry it. (optional).
You can also use minimum oil and cook on low flame. (optional).
You can also use lots of other vegetables like beans, peas, capsicum. (Optional).
I have done with only carrots and coriander leaves. Use of bread slice edge is optional. ( I have used).
Use of other spices like chat masala/amechur powder or any other masala is optional.
Use of more chilly/red chilly powder is optional.
No potato is used here. Use of potatoes, onions or garlic is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4. ( Shape ans size matters).
Type : Indian snack.

Green chutney preparation :

Clean and wash coriander leaves, pudina/mint leaves and green chilly.
Grind coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chilly, 3 to 4 soft dates,  little tamarind and salt with minimum water. Add water whenever you want the chutney to be little more liquid. 

Ridge Gourd - Bottle Gourd Kootu

Kootu is nothing but a type of curry which is mild spicy. I have tried Ridge gourd and bottle gourd combination.  Kootu has turned very yummy and it goes well with all most all main dishes.

Ridge gourd and the bottle gourd were used as veggies and little coconut, channa dal and red chilly with little ingh and curry leaves. I remembered Mrs. Nagamani Prasad very much because she used to prepare this Kootu very often. I have seen her preparing this kootu curry and eaten as well. She is one of the good cook whom I have come across. I have learnt to cook by seeing her and Mrs. Prema Sundareshan. It is always a pleasure to eat and enjoy whatever they cooked.
Let us see some benefits of eating Channa dal in our diet.
Split bengal dal/channa dal is full of nutritious, high in fiber and easily digested. It helps to lower the cholesterol level in our body. It has very low fat. It has good amount of iron, sodium, selenium and small amount of copper, zinc and manganese. They do have folic acid and fiber. It has antioxidant properties. Channa dal is good for diabetes and helps to control the sugar levels. Channa dal has rich source of iron and good for people who are suffering from anemia.
Let us see the recipe Now:
This is one of the traditional dish of Mysorians (Ayyangaris) and has No Onion or No Garlic in it.

Ingredients :

To Cook :
Bottle Gourd : 1 Bowl (1/2 of medium size bottle gourd).
Ridge Gourd : 1

To Fry/roast  : Spices.
Channa Dal : 1 Tablespoon
Red Chilly : 4 to 5 (Byadagi)
Pepper Pods : 3 to 4
Urid dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Methi Seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Ingh/Asafoetida : A little
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8

To grind :
Coconut : 2 to 3 Tablespoons (Fresh and grated)
Fried or roasted spices.

To Add :
Salt : As required
Coriander Leaves.

Seasoning :
Groundnut Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Channa dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh/ Asafoetida : A little
Curry Leaves : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Wash and remove the edges of ridge gourd and wash it again. Remove the outer layer and cut ridge gourd into small pieces. (Outer layer can be used for chutney).
2. Wash and remove the outer layer of bottle gourd and cut into small pieces.
3. Cook both the veggies with required water till soft.

4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add a spoon of oil and fry methi seeds, urid dal till golden brown.
 Add channa dal and red chilly.(Byadagi menasu).
5. Let channa dal turn golden brown. Add pepper pods, Red chilly and mix it well. Put off the fire. Add curry leaves and ingh.
6. Grate coconut and grind it with fried methi seeds, urid dal, channa dal, pepper pods and red chilly mixture.

7. Keep a big pan on the fire. Add cooked vegetables (ridge gourd and bottle gourd).
8. Add salt and little turmeric powder. Mix it well. Let it boil nicely.
9. Add ground coconut mixture and mix it nicely. Let it boil for 3 to 4 minutes.

10. Shift the ready Kootu to a serving dish.

11. Keep a pan and heat. Add oil and mustard seeds, urid dal and channa dal. Let mustard seeds splutter.
12. Add curry leaves and ingh/Asafoetida. Put off the fire and add the seasoning to the ready curry.
13. Add cut coriander leaves and a spoon of ghee.

14. Ridge Gourd -Bottle gourd Kootu is ready to serve.

Note :

Do not over cook the veggies. Let it be soft. Adding tamarind or lemon to Kootu/Curry is optional.
Normally Kootu has mild spice and do not need any tangy/tamarind or lemon. Use of any cooking oil is optional. I have added a teaspoon of ghee just before serving. Adding ingh helps to digest the food easily and reduces the gastric content.
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4 .