Ambur Brinjal Biryani

An easy comforting veggi-delight for a weekday dinner!!

Ingredients

3 cups Seeraga Samba Rice or Basmati rice
10 small Brinjal, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup Oil
3 Bay Leaf
2 small sticks Cinnamon
6 Cloves
2 Star Anise
1 tsp Black Jeera
8 Green Chillies, slit lengthwise
1 Large Onion, thinly sliced
Handfull of Mint chopped
1/2 Lemon Juice
4 Cups Water
Salt

For the masala 
4 Red Byadagi Chilli
6 Cloves of Garlic
1 small piece of Ginger
6 Cardamom
2 tsp Fennel seeds
1/2 cup Water

Method

1. Wash and soak rice in water. Set aside
2. Grind all the ingredients listed under masala into fine paste. Then set aside
3. On a heavy bottomed skillet, heat oil until smoky. Add these together - bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, black jeera and  star annise
4. Then add green chillies and onions. Saute until onions sweat
5. Then add brinjal. Saute for a minute
6. Then add the masala paste. Mix well. Cover the skillet and cook until brinjals are half cooked about 8 minutes
7. Then add these -  water, salt, mint and lemon jucie. Bring it to boil
8. Reduce the heat. Then add the rice. Mix well. Cover the skillet and cook in low flat for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside for another 10 minutes. 
9. Serve with cool cucumber raita 

***Tips and success factor ***
(Do not add more water, otherwise rice becomes musshy. The success of this recipe depends up how long rice soaks in water and cooking rice in low heat)

Ompudi | Khara Sev

Its a mommy's favorite recipe. Crispy noodle strands made with besan (chickpea flour) is a perfect tea time savory snack. In south India they are called ompudi becuase it is flavored with caraway seeds. Most popularly it is called as sev. 

Its the most common garnishing ingredient in Indian chats and they are not complete without topping of sev. 

My mom usually makes this snack in large batches. It takes very less time to prepare and cooks very fast. With proper storage it can last for up-to a month. 

Ingredients

3 cups Besan (chickpea flour)
1/2 tsp Ajwain (caraway seeds)
1 tsp Red chili powder
1/4 tsp Asafoetida (hing)
2 tsp Melted Ghee
Salt
Water
Oil for deep frying

Method

• Blend ajwain into fine powder

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together besan, ajwain, red chili powder, asafoetida, ghee and salt

• Add water in small batches to the besan mixture and mix together to form a sticky dough  (*** Note -  you can use spoon to make dough for less messy)

•  Grease the sev maker. Load the besan dough until it fills up the cylinder. And close the cylinder

• Heat oil until it is moderately hot on medium heat 
• Press the handle of sev maker and gently drop the noodle strands in oil in circular motion. Fry in medium heat until oil bubbles go away (*** Note -  Flip the sev only once. Flipping more than once will break the sev)

•  Use an absorbent paper to drain excess oil
• After sev cools down, store it in a air tight container 

Potato Leak Soup

A fulfilling recipe from French cuisine made from potatoes and leaks flavored with oregano and thyme. All these ingredients are blended together using immersion blender until they are smooth. 

Ingredients

3 stalks of Leeks, whites and light green only partially chopped

3 medium sized Yukon potatoes, peeled and diced

6 Garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/4 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp crushed Black pepper

1 ltr Chicken Broth

Salt

1 tsp Butter

Method

• Melt butter in a large pot. To this, add garlic and leeks. Sautee for few seconds

 

• Then add potato and sautee for another 2 minutes

• Add oregano, thyme and black pepper

• Add chicken broth and mix well. Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes until potatoes are fork tender

• Add salt as per taste
• Using an immersion blender blend the soup until smooth

• Simmer for 2 -5 minutes
• Serve hot

Sabsike Soppina Akki Rotti

Sabsike Soppu ( Dill leaves), dark green stranded leafy vegetable is very rich in fiber and vitamin K.  The oils present in dill leaves such as carvone, limonene, phenolic and flavonoids boosts breast milk supply.  This leafy vegetable is classified as galactogogue foods. 

Akki Rotti is a southern Karnataka based recipe made with rice flour and a wide variety of vegetables and spices.

*** Note: By adding oil while kneading the dough, keeps it moist and can be refrigerated upto 3 days

Ingredients

3 cups Rice flour
1 large bunch of Dill leaves (with stem), finely chopped
1 Carrot, shredded
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut
1 inch piece of Ginger, finely chopped
2-3 Green Chilies, finely chopped
Salt
4 tsp Oil 
Water (@room temperature) as needed 

Method

• In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together except for oil and water
• Add enough water to form soft dough. 
• Add oil and knead well. Let it rest for 30 minutes

• Divide the dough into equal portions. Take each portions and shape it into balls

• Place one portion of the shaped dough on a greased flat pan. Wet your palm and  pat the dough to form a pancake working from inwards and spread it evenly outwards 
• Add few drops of oil on the edges. Cook on medium heat on both the sides until it turns golden brown

• For the next rotti, cool the pan with running cold water and repeat the above 2 steps
• Serve hot with coconut chutney. And some ghee is also preferred 

Veg Puff

Frozen puff pastry is great for home entertaining party appetizer. Its always good to keep few packages of frozen puff pastry for last minute meal plans. It can be found in dessert frozen isle in grocery stores.  

This a good recipe for learners. It is easy to make both sweet and savory appetizers, entrees and desserts. 

For veg puff, all you need is few vegetables seasoned with mild spices

Ingredients

1 box of Frozen Puff Pastry sheets
2 tsp Ghee for brushing

For filling
2 Carrots, diced
2 Onions, finely chopped
1 cup of peas
4 Cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala Powder
4 tsp oil
Salt

Method

• Heat oil on a skillet. Add onions, saute until it softens
• Add garlic, carrots and peas. Saute for 2-3 minutes
• Add salt, coriander powder, chili powder and garam masala powder. Cook for 8- 10 minutes
• Thaw frozen puff pastry sheets. Unfold the sheets. Cut the sheet into 9 squares
• Using rolling pin, roll each square of pastry sheet
• Fill each square with 1 1/2 tsp of vegetable filling placing it on the center
• Fold the square on opposite sides to form a triangle. Repeat above steps for remaining squares
• Place these pastries on a sheet pan and brush each piece with ghee. 
• Bake at 300F on a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until it turns golden brown
• Serve warm

Avocado Strawberry Salad

It's very important for breastfeeding moms to have nutritious food. Certain nutritive foods keeps both mother and baby healthy.

Avacado is rich in folic acid and monosaturated fats. Folic acid  helps in  development of central nervous system. Monosaturated fats balances cholesterol levels. 

Perfect snack for brunch. 

Ingredients

1 ripened Avacado, cubed

6 Brightly colored Strawberries, cubed

1 Cucumber, cubed 

Salt 

Pepper

1/4 tsp ChatMasala powder

Juice of 1/2 a lemon 

Few sprigs of cilantro, finely chopped 

 

Method 

Mix these ingredients together - chopped cucumbers, avocado and strawberries with pepper, salt, cilantro and chat masala.

Indian Peanut Brittle | Chikki

An old fashioned sugar candy embedded with peanuts. It is called chikki in India which is prepared with just 2 ingredents - Jaggery (or cane sugar) and peanuts. Making chikki is just so much fun, because it is an easy recipe which can be made very quickly.

Chikki is also an excellent holiday gift and made during Indian festivals like Makar Sankranthi. I like to eat it for evening snack.

Ingredients

1 Cup Peanuts

3/4 cup Jaggery (cane sugar)

Oil/ ghee for greasing

Method

• In a sauce pan, roast peanuts on medium low heat until the skin becomes crispy and separates out ; and brown spots appear in  peanuts. Transfer peanut to a plate and let it cool. Remove skin by rubbing between your palm

• In the same pan, melt jaggery in low heat until bubbles are formed. Drop a teaspoon of melted jaggery in cold water. If it turns solid immediately or it turns to one thread consistency, then turn off the flame

• Now add peanuts and mix well

• Spread it evenly on a greased surface and while it is still warm, cut it into desired shape; and let it cool

• Store it in cool place in a air tight container