BISIBELE BATH/ SAMBAR RICE

Yields: 10 servings

Ingredients 

Rice: 1 cup
Togaribele/tuver dal: ½ cup
Bisibele bath powder/plain sambar powder: 5 tbsp
Salt: as required
Tamarind: lemon size(soak in hot water and extract pulp)
Gingelly oil: 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Peanuts: ¼ cup
Curry leaves: 10 leaves
Hing powder: ½ tsp
Red chilli: 1 no
Carrot: ¼ cup(cut in cubes)
Beans: ¼ cup(cut in pieces)
Green peas: ¼ cup
Potato: ¼ cup(cut in cubes)
Cabbage: ¼ cup(cut in pieces)
Tomato: 1 no (medium size, cut in cubes)

Preparation 

1. Pressure cook rice and tuver dal together with 4 cups of water. You may cook the rice-dal directly in the pressure cooker or separately in a vessel in the cooker. 
2. Meanwhile in a pan heat 2 tbsp of oil, add ½ tsp of mustard seeds, once it crackles add peanuts and fry for 2 minutes. Add 5-6 curry leaves and all vegetables. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
3. Add bisibele bath powder, salt and tamarind pulp to the vegetables, bring it to boil.
4. Bring the vegetables, rice-dal together in the cooker and continue cooking for 12-15 minutes.
5. Prepare tempering in another pan by adding ½ tsp of mustard seeds to remaining 2 tbsp of hot oil, once it crackles add remaining curry leaves, hing powder, red chilli and pour it on the bisibele bath.
6. A very tasty and filling lunch is ready to relish with papad, onion raita, brinjal raita, or tomato raita.  

RAISINS COOKIES

Yields: 12 nos.

Ingredients

Butter: ½ cup
Icing sugar or powdered sugar: ½ cup
Maida/all purpose flour: 1 cup
Black raisins: 2 tbsp
Badam pieces: for decoration(1 tbsp)

Preparation

1. Take a mixing bowl, add butter, icing sugar and mix well.
2. Now add maida, black raisins, mix and bind it into a dough.
3. Take small portions and shape into cookies.
4. Decorate the cookies with almond pieces.
5. Preheat microwave at 180° and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the microwave and leave it on rack till cookies cool completely.

Notes

• Black raisins tastes best and is preferred, however even normal raisins can be used instead. 

TOMATO CHUTNEY/THOKKU

Yields: 1-1½ cup

Ingredients 

Tomatoes: 10 nos(medium size)
Tamarind: playing marble size
Curry leaves: 10 leaves
Gingelly Oil: 5 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Hing powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp
Fenugreek powder: ½ tsp(dry roasted and powdered)
Jaggery powder: ¼ tsp(optional)
Salt: as required

Preparation

1. Pressure cook the tomatoes and tamarind with one whistle.
2. Cool, remove skin and grind into a fine paste.
3. Take a pan, add gingelly oil. Once hot add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle, add curry leaves, hing powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, fenugreek powder, mix and add tomato pulp.
4. Now add salt, jaggery, mix and allow to boil till it thickens and starts leaving the pan.
5. Once done, cool and transfer it to any dry container.
6. Can be had as a side dish with palak paratha, paneer paratha, rava pakoda, capsicum pakoda, rava dosa or any dosa/roti.

                                                                                                                                           

Notes

• If the chutney is properly cooked i.e. proper thickening process is done, then it can be stored for more than 10 days at room temperature. If refrigerated, it can be stored for upto a month, if at all there is any left.
• Gingelly oil tastes best for this recipe. However you can use any other oil of your choice.
• I have used normal tomato, if you are using country(naati) tomato then tamarind can be skipped as country tomatoes tend to be tangier.
• This chutney can be mixed with plain rice and instant tomato rice is ready for lunch box.
• It can also be mixed with curd, little salt, fresh coriander leaves and instant tomato raita is ready to relish.

BRINJAL RAITA/BADNEKAI RAITA/BAINGAN RAITA

Yields: 1-1.5 cup

Ingredients 

Brinjal: 1 no(medium size)
Green chilli: 2 nos
Curry leaves: 5 leaves
Curd: 1 cup
Salt : as required
Hing powder: ¼ tsp
Oil: 2 tsp
Mustard seeds: ½ tsp

Preparation 

1. Apply oil to the brinjal and green chilli.
2. Roast both directly on the flame or by keeping it on a stand. (Keep rotating so that all sides get roasted properly)
3. Once done cool the brinjal, put in a vessel with ½ cup water, peel the skin and remove brinjal flesh in a plate. (Peeling skin by keeping in water makes the process easier)
4. Open the brinjal and see that there is no impurities/insect in it. Now mash both brinjal and roasted green chilli.
5. Take curd in a vessel, add salt, mashed brinjal and green chilli, mix it.
6. Prepare tempering by adding oil to hot pan, add mustard seeds, once it crackles, add curry leaves and hing powder. Switch off the stove and cool.
7. Add the cooled tempering to the brinjal curd mix.
8. You can even garnish the raita with fresh coriander leaves
9. Relish with any rice varieties like Onion rice, Lemon rice, Chitranna or stuffed parathas like Palak paratha, Paneer paratha.

Notes

• For this recipe always select fresh, seedless and good quality brinjal, such that there are no insects in it.

HEALTHY OATS DHOKLA

Yields: 25 pieces (approximately 1.5"cube) 

Ingredients 

Instant oats: ½ cup
Rava(medium)/semolina/suji: ½ cup
Curd: 4 tbsp
Idli rava: ½ cup
Green chilli: 2 nos(chopped)
Ginger: 1 tsp(chopped)
Salt: as required
Coriander leaves: ½ cup(chopped)
Hing powder: ½ tsp
Jeera/cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
Fruit salt/baking soda: 1 tsp
Oil: 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 10 leaves
Water: as required

Preparation 

1. Take a pan and dry roast oats till it slightly changes colour.
2. Take a mixing bowl, add roasted oats, rava, 2 tbsp of curd, mix and give it a rest for 10 minutes. If its dry then add 1 or 2 tbsp of water.
3. Meanwhile take a broad vessel/pressure pan with water. Keep a smaller vessel in it with water such that a 2" deep steel greased plate can rest over it. Cover the greased plate with a bigger plate. Switch on the stove so that the greased plate will be hot by the time other ingredients are mixed(preheating). (Do not use gasket and whistle weight if pressure pan is used). If water starts boiling reduce the flame, don't switch it off.
4. After 10 minutes of resting add idli rava, green chilli, ginger, coriander leaves, jeera, hing powder, turmeric powder, salt,  remaining 2 tbsp of curd and mix. 
5. If required add 1 or 2 tbsp of water. Batter should be of pouring consistency (Idli batter consistency).
6. Now add fruit salt/baking powder, mix and pour in the hot plate.
7. Cook for 20 minutes in medium to high flame. Check by using a knife, if it comes out clean then it's cooked. If not cooked keep for 5 more minutes.
8. After dhokla cools a little, cut into pieces and keep aside.
9. Now time to prepare tempering. Add oil to a wide pan, once heated add mustard seeds, after mustard seeds crackles add curry leaves, red chilli powder and mix.
10. Switch off the stove, add cut dhokla and mix in such a way that tempering gets evenly coated on dhokla. 

METHI TUVER RICE/MENTHYA SOPPU THOGARIKAALU ANNA

        

Yields: Serves 2 person

Ingredients 

Methi leaves/menthya soppu: 2 cups(chopped)
Tuver seeds/thogarikaalu(raw): 1/2 cup
Green peas/hari matar: 1/4 cup
Potato: 1 no (medium size)(cut in cubes)
Tomato: 2 nos(medium size)(cut into pieces)
Curry  leaves: 5-6 leaves
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp (chopped)
Oil: 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds: ½ tsp
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Hing powder: ¼ tsp
Palya pudi: 3 tbsp or as required
Salt: as required 
Cooked rice: 3 cups
Ghee: 1 tbsp

Preparation

1. Take a pan add oil, once hot add mustard seeds. After it crackles add tuvar seeds, green peas, potato, tomato, turmeric powder, little salt(as much required for vegetables) mix and put methi leaves over it so that it covers all other vegetables.
2. Sprinkle 3-4 tbsp of water and let it cook till the peas and potato are soft.
3. Now add hing powder, 1 tbsp of palya pudi, mix well and switch off the stove.
4. Take a broad vessel, add cooked rice, salt(required for rice), palya pudi, ghee, mix and then add cooked vegetable, mix properly.
5. Relish healthy, tasty methi tuvar rice with raita like brinjal raita, tomato raita, papad or plain as it is.

Notes

• To reduce the bitterness of methi leaves, while washing squeeze the leaves in the water and then drain it. This process will also help in removing the fine mud stuck to the leaves.

LEMON PICKLE

Yields: 2 cups 

Ingredients

Lemon: 20 nos(medium sized)
Salt: 3 tbsp or as required
Red chilli powder: 3 tbsp
Hing powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder:½ tsp
Fenugreek/menthya powder: 1 tbsp(dry roasted and powdered fenugreek)
Gingelly oil: 9-10 tbsp

Preparation

1. Cut lemon into 4 pieces or 8 pieces. After cutting 2 or 3 lemons transfer to the bowl and keep sprinkling salt little by little so that lemon doesn't taste bitter.
2. Once all the lemons are cut add turmeric powder, hing powder, fenugreek powder, red chilli powder and remaining salt and mix all.
3. Now add oil, mix properly and transfer into a dry jar.
4. Sprinkle ¼ tsp salt over the pickle, close the lid and and keep aside.
5. Keep stirring daily for first 5-6 days after which keep stirring every alternate day or refrigerate it if you are not using/stirring for longer time. 
6. A very quick and easy to make pickle is ready to be relished.

Notes

• Pickles should never be stirred at night and always use a dry spoon for longer life. 
• There should always be some oil on top/in the upper layer of  the lemon in the jar which increases the shelf life of the pickle.
• Traditionally pickles are prepared in large batches to last for almost a year and is stored in Pickle Jars (ceramic/terracotta). As and when required, every week or so a small batch of the pickle is taken out for use. At such time the pickle in the bigger jar is stirred well. Such regular stirring ensures that the pickle stays good for long. Lack of regular stirring or insufficient oil on top layer of the pickle results in a whitish layer to form on top. The pickle itself will not have spoiled in such case, just remove the top white layer, stir well and it is good for use again.