Sorekai (Bottle Gourd) - Moong Daal Kichdi.

Moong Daal Doodi Kichidi is prepared with rice and it is a healthy dish. Easy to cook and we can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner too. Moong dal and Doodhi (Bottle gourd) both help keep our body cool.
Ingredients : 
Moong Daal: 1/2 Cup
Raw Rice: 1 Cup
Bottle gourd : 1 Cup
Pepper Seeds: 5 to 6 Pods
Jeera: 1 Tea spoon
Green chilly: 2 to 3
Ginger: 1/2 Tea spoon
Ghee: 2 Table spoon.
Salt: as required
Curry leaves: 5 to 6
Coriander leaves: 1 Table spoon
Ingh: a pinch
Turmeric Powder: a little
Cashew Nuts: 2 Table spoons.

Method:
1. Wash and cut coriander leaves, curry leaves, green chilly and grate ginger. Wash and grate bottle gourd and keep it aside.
2. Wash and cook rice and moong daal together and keep it aside.
3. Powder or crush pepper pods.
4. Now keep a big pan on the fire and heat. Add 1 table spoon of ghee and put jeera and crushed pepper. Add Cashew nuts, green chilly and curry leaves. Add little ingh to the mixture.  
5. Now add cooked moong dal - rice to the jeera mixture and mix it well. Add 2 to 3 cups of water. Mix it nicely.
6. Add grated bottle gourd, grated ginger and little turmeric powder to the kichidi. Add salt. Mix it nicely. let it boil nicely for 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Now add cut coriander leaves and the remaining ghee to the boiling kichidi and put off the gas. Serve the kichidi with pickle , pappad. Do not forget to put a spoon of ghee on the top .
Note: Do not over cook moong and rice. You can roast moong daal for 3 to 4 minutes. Add required water. It should be little watery consistency. You can also add little more green chilly. Adding the ghee at the end gives better taste.
Time.: 20 to 25 minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3 

Haalu Shavige Payasa (Semiya - Milk Kheer).

Shavige means Semiya. Shavige payasa is famous every where. Today being Raksha bhandhan and  Noolu Hunnime ( Full moon day )  I  prepared this particular payasa with lots of milk and nuts and it is really yemmy to have, easy to cook and healthy to eat too.

Ingredients :

Shavige : 2 to 3 Table spoons

Sugar : 2 to 3 Table spoons
Cardamom : 5 to 6 pods

Almonds : 6 to 8

Cashew nuts:  2  Table spoons

Milk : 1/2 litre

Ghee : 1 Tea spoon

Method : 
1. Powder the cardamom and cut cashew nuts. Powder or grate almonds and cut cashew nuts.
2. Boil milk and keep it ready.
3. Now keep a pan on the fire and put 1 tea spoon of ghee. Heat that and add cut cashew nuts and fry for 10 seconds. Add shavige and fry for 1 minute..
4. Add boiled milk and mix it nicely. Let the shavige cook in milk for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add 3 table spoons of sugar.  Stir it and mix well. Let the mixture boil for 2 minutes.
6. Add powdered cardamom and mix it again and put the ready shavige to the serving bowl.
7. Put grated almonds on the top and serve hot shavige payasa. 

 Note: Must be careful while the shavige is cooking . Milk may overflow otherwise. Stir in   between.  You can add almond flakes  on the top while serving each bowl of payasa.  
Serves:2 to 3.
Time : 10 minutes.