Dry fruit Kesari

 A sweet dish that could be made in a jiffy in around 15 to 20 mins using dry fruits and rawa. This is similar to Rawa Kesari with extra ingredient of dry fruits added to it. 

Ingredients:

Dates - 6 nos

Raisins - 12 nos

Almonds - 12 nos

Cashew nuts - 12 nos

Pista - 12 nos

Rawa - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 4 tbsp

Ghee - 4 tbsp

Water - 1 cup

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:    

Chop the dates finely. Sliver 6 of the  almonds, 6 cashew nuts and pista. Fry these along with raisins in a tbsp of ghee in low flame. 

Stir fry rawa in another tbsp of ghee in low flame till the colour changes slightly golden. Remove from flame and set it aside to cool. 

In a hard bottom pan add water and bring it to boil once it starts boiling add sugar, cardamom powder and bring it boil till the sugar dissolves. Add the fried rawa to it and mix it well. Ensure it does not form lumps. Once it starts bubbbling add the dry fruits to it and mix well. 

Fry the remaining cashew in ghee and once removed from flame add the remaining almonds (sliver them too) and add it to the kesari. 

Mango Rice

Ingredients:
Mango - 1 medium sized (let it be a bit tangy)
Rice - 1 cup
Gingely oil - 8 tbsp
Ghee - 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Hing - 1/2 tsp
Green chilly - 4 nos (finely chopped)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tbsp

Method:
The Totapuri mango vareity is best suitable to make mango rice. Peel the skin and grate it. Chop the green chillies finely. 
Wash and pressure cook the rice with just 3/4th cup of water and a spoon of ghee. Pressure cook it for 2 whistles. When cool transfer to a shallow plate and spread it and let it cool. 
Heat a hard bottom pan and add 6 tbsp of gingely oil. when hot add the mustard seeds and when it splutters add the hing, turmeric powder and green chillies and saute well. Add the grated mango and mix well. cover and cook in medium flame. Once the mango is soft add the salt and mix well. Switch off the stove. 
Add the cooked rice and mix it thoroughly. Add the ghee to it. Adjust the salt as required. 

Tomato rice for neivedhyams

When it comes to making neivedhyams and when you plan to make mixed rice varieties it is always to be made without Onions and garlic. Many people find it hard to have it without these two. But my mom makes tomato rice without onion and garlic always and I have grown up eating that. This recipe is my mom's favourite and so is mine. The taste of the juice of the tomato seeping inside the cooked rice is definitely something to be relished. It does not need any special rice variey like Basmathi or Jeeraga Samba. Can be made with the regular raw rice that is used daily

Ingredients:

Tomato - /12 kg or 8 nos

Green chilly - 2 nos

Curry leaves - 1/4 cup

Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Mint leaves (optional) -  1/4 cup

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece1

Salt - 1 1/2 tbsp

Gingely oil - 4 tbsp

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Hing - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Dhaniya - 2 tbps

Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Channa dal - 2 tbsp

Red Chilly - 6 nos

Rice - 1 /2 cups

Water - 2 cups

Method:

In a tadka pan add dhaniya, 1 tbsp of channa dal and urad dal and fry till it starts getting golden brown. Transfer it to a plate. Add the red chillies and fry it till it starts becoming aromatic. When it is cool dry it to a fine powder. 

Chop the tomatoes finely either using manual or electric chopper. Add the green chillies ginger, curry leaves, 1/2 cup coriander leaves and mint leaves along with the tomatoes and chop all. 

Pressuire cook the rice with a spoon of ghee and 1 1/2 cups of water for 2 whistles. Once cool spread it on the plate.

In a hard bottom pan add the ghee and gingely oil. Once hot add the mustard seeds, 1 tbsp of channa dal, hing, turmeric powder and mix well. Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water and salt. Cover and cook in a slow flame till all the water is absorbed. Mix well. Add the powder and mix thoroughly. 

Add the cooked tomato to the cooked rice slowly and mix slowly. Use a fork or the back of the laddle to mix the rice so that it does not break. Add the remaining finely chopped coriander leaves. 

Adjust the salt as required. 

Serve hot with the vegetable of  your choice. But it tastes yummy even without any side dish. 

Sambar sadham for neivedhyams

 When we make mixed rice varieties one of the recipes that needs extra care and cooking is sambar saadham or sambar rice and when it is made for neivedhyam /prasad, onion is not added. It can be made with just one vegetable or with a few vegetables. It is similar to araichu vitta sambar

Ingredients

Rice - 1 cup

Thuvar Dal - 1 1/2 cup

Water - 5 cups

Tamarind paste - 3 tbsp

Gingely oil - 4 tbsp

Ghee - 4 tbsp

Dhania - 2 tbsp

Thuvar dal - 1 tbsp

Channa dal /  Kadala paruppu - 1 tbsp

Red Chilly - 8 nos

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1/2 cup

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Hing - 1/4 inch piece (or 1 tsp powder)

Salt (preferrably rock salt) - 1 1/2 tbsp

Cashew nuts - 12 to 15 nos (finely chopped)

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - /12 spoon

Vegetables to use:

Carrot - 2 nos

Potato - 2 nos (medium sized)

Beans - 150 gms 1(can also be avoided)

Green peas -1/2 cup (if using dry peas soak it the previous night)

Chow chow - 1 no small size

Brinjal - 2 nos (round ones medium sized)

Pumpkin - 1/4 kg

Method:

Wash and Soak 1/2 cup dal and rice seperately for 30 mins. Pressure cook it with 3 cups of water. Add 1 spoon of gingely oil to it. Once cooled and pressure is released mash it well. Transfer it to a bowl and keep that in a shallow plate with hot water so that it does not gets lumpy. 

Pressure cook 1 cup dal with a pinch of turmeric powder and mash it well.

In a hard bottom shallow pan add 1 tbsp of ghee and 2 tbsp of gingely oil. When it gets hot add dhaniya, thuvar dal, channa dal in the same order. When all these changes colour add hing and red chillies. Fry all these for 5 mins add 1/4 cup of  curry leaves, grated coconut and mix them all well till the coconut turns slightly golden. Remove from flame add the cumin seeds and let it cool. When cold grind it with 1/12 cup of coriander leaves to a fine paste by adding 1/4 cup of water. 

Heat 1 cup of water and add the tamarind paste to it and make it tamarind water.

Peel and chop carrots, chow chow and potatoes to cubes. Beans to 1 inch pieces. Brinjal to cubes, peel and cut the pumpkin to big pieces. If it is dry green peas pressure cook it seperately. If it is normal green peas add it along with the other vegetables. Pressure all with a pinch of turmeric powder and 1/2 spoon of salt for just 2 whistles. Let it cool.

In a hard bottom pan add 1 tbsp of gingely oil and 1 tbsp of ghee and once hot add the mustard seeds and when it splutters add the tamarind water slowly to it. Add the salt and bring it to boil. Once it starts boil add the pressure cooked vegetables and 1/2 cup of water and let it boil for a while. When it starts boiling add the ground paste and mix well. Keep stirring so that it does not settle at the bottom but is mixed well with the tamarind water. Once it thickens add the mashed dal and mix it well and bring it to boil. 

In a shallow vessel transfer the rice and add sambar slowly and keep mixing till it reaches the perfect consistency. 

In the tadka pan add the gingely oil and ghee. When hot add the finely chopped cashew nuts. Spread the remaining curry leaves on top of the mixed rice. Pour the cashew nut tadka on top of the curry leaves. Chop the remaining 1/4 cup coriander leaves and add it on top. Keep coered so all the flavour and frangrance is enhanced. Mix well before serving. 

Serve hot with fried appalam or pappadam or with potato kara curry.