KASHMIRI PULAO

Kashmiri pulao i tasted when we went to Srinagar around three years back.  Mr. Abdul who was our driver was kind enough to make us eat kashmiri pulao and  drink the famous Kava (a kind of tea they drink),  we liked very much and brought some tea packets which i still  have and enjoy once in a while. shall post the recipe soon.

This pulao is slightly sweet with mild spices, can be prepared easily.  The fried onions and nuts and fruits  adds more taste and flavour to this pulao.  It can be served with  onion, tomato, cucumber raita or lauki yakhni.  Lauki is called Al in Kashmiri and  Yakhni is a curd based sauce.  The lauki roundels are shallow fried and added to the  curd sauce which goes well with this pulao.  No garnish is made in this but for the photo, I have added coriander leaves as I like the same with the raita very much.

HEALTHY SALAD

Salad is part of every Indian meal.  Salads are made wth raw vegetables like cucumber, radish, beetroot, onions etc.  This salad i am presenting is slightly different.  You can make it within 5 minutes if you are fast in cutting veggies. It is slightly sauted and only salt and black pepper powder is added.  You can eat it just like that or can serve with roti, pulao etc.

Healthy salad

RAVA DOSA, SUJIDOSA, SEMOLINA DOSA

Rava dosa is instantly made without much hassles.  What you need is rice flour, suji/rava/semolina and little bit of maida mixed with green chilli, ginger, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, curry leaves if you wish.  While preparing this dosa, you have to be very patient as it take some time to cook properly unlike the normal dosa.   My mother used to temper with mustard seeds too in this. It can be served with chutney/sambar/pickle/curd/gunpowder and oil etc.  I love to eat the same with curd and lime pickle.

Rava dosa

BAMBOO SHOOT PICKLE

Bamboo shoot pickle is made out of bamboo shoots with kpra masala (ready made).

Since childhood, i have seen preparing bamboo shoot subzi but never bothered to look at it even though it was available plenty in our backyard.  one of my relative used to make something with the bamboo rice (mula ari in malayalam) i remember faintly.  after coming to Mumbai, years together i used to see the stuff in the market but never bothered to buy it.  But since for the past few months, I want to taste this stuff so thought of buying it last week.

JAGGERY DOSA, VELLA DOSA, SWEET DOSA, GUD KA DOSA, CREPES

Vella dosa, jaggery dosa, sweet dosa is one of  the favourite dish of my son.  My mother in law used to make them for him and he love this.  Whenever i ask him what you like of Thattimas's dishes (he used to call grandmother Thattima), he would say, one is vella dosa and another one is appalam kuzhambu.  he love the kuzhambu with chapati.

Today when I asked him what to make for breakfast, he said Kuch Acha that is his usual dialogue.  He never specifies what he wants to eat.

In fact, in search of Kuch Acha (something good), i took interest in cooking and today i am with my blog in front of you.  Tomorrow, one of you must be coming out like this.  Some one is behind your success. that is true.  Now coming to the recipe.

THATTAI, FLAT RICE CRISPIES

Thattai or flat rice crispies are made out of rice flour, urad dal flour with chilli powder and salt.  It is a very nice snack item too with a cup of tea or coffee.  During festival season viz. krishna jayanti or gokulashtami or ashtami rohini is called, Kai murukku, thattai, cheedai, vella cheedai etc. are the main dishes prepared in every household.


Normally, my mother in law make the Murukku, cheedai, thattai etc. with the same dough which is made for the murkku.  only variation is that in cheedai, we add black pepper, coconut grated and in thattai we add bengal gram.  I always follow her method as it is the perfect one for me.


She never  wait for any festival to come.   whenever she feels like make it, without any hesitation and laziness, she prepare the same for my children.

Now let us have a quick look at the recipe

SHEPUCHE VADE, DILL LEAVES VADA,

Shepuche vade (Dill leaves vade) is made out of dill leaves or shepu in local language with chana dal,urid dal and with some onions chopped.  It is a nice tea time snack during the winter and monsoon.

Dill leaves are very good for health.   helps in digestion and prevents acidity.  See other posts of Dill leaves

health-benefits-of-dill-shepoo.html

dill-leaves-dosa.html

WATER MELON CURRY, TARBOOSE KI SUBZI, THANEER MATHAN PACHADI

Water melon curry is made with the white portion of water melon,  coconut, tamarind pulp or curd and spices.  This has the similarity of normal pachadi we make with red pumpkin, vellarikka etc.  

It is a best out of waste recipe and goes well with rice and chapatti.  View more   recipes made with  the white portion of water melon.

BANANA STEM CHUTNEY, VAZHATHANDU CHUTNEY, KELE KI DANDAL KI CHUTNEY

Banana stem chutney is made with the the cooked stem or sauted stem, coconut and chilli.  It is a nice chutney goes well with dosa, idli, and a a side dish for some mild curries like dal, molagootal and curd rice.  Since it has got medicinal values, i make it a point to include the same atleast once in a week as it is available through out the year.

BANANA STEM THORAN, VAZHATHANDU THORAN, BANANA STEM STIR FRY, VAZHATHANDU PORIYAL

Banana stem thoran is made with finely chopped banana stem, coconut etc.  It has got medicinal value. see the post of Banana Stem soup for more details of health benefits.  It is a simple and easy recipe to make and goes well with samabar rice, dal rice, curd rice, chapati etc.