Stuffed Brinjal

Ingredients:

• Small brinjals - 8
• Besan - 3 tbsp
• Groundnuts - 2 tbsp
• Coriander leaves - 1/3 cup
• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
• Jeera - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Asafoetida - 2 pinches
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
• Cooking oil - 2 tbsp

Method: 

1. Roast groundnuts till golden brown and grind into a coarse powder. Keep aside.
2. Mix besan and coriander powder and roast for few minutes till the smell of raw besan disappears.
3. Add chilli powder, salt, lemon juice, turmeric, asafoetida, groundnut powder and coriander leaves into the besan-coriander powder and mix thoroughly into a homogenous mixture.
4. Slit brinjal using 2-3 cuts such that the brinjal is still one single piece, so that it can be stuffed conveniently.
5. Stuff the brinjal with the mixture.
6. Put 2 tbsp oil into a kadai and add the stuffed brinjals. 
7. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and close the lid. 
8. After a short while, remove lid, add little water to help in cooking of the brinjal and place back lid. Turn into low flame.

Boorulu - Stuffed sweetballs

Ingredients:
Fresh grated coconut - 1/3 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Elaichi - 3
Moong Dhal - 1/2 cup
Urad flour - 1/3 cup
Rice flour - 2/3 cup
Salt - to taste
Ghee - 2 tsp

Method:
1. Soak moong dhal for 2 hours.
2. Grind into coarse paste (like rava).
3. Pour into idli maker and steam like idli.
4. After idlis cool, mash with hand into small pieces.
5. Mix rice flour and urad flour with water and 1 tbsp jaggery and 1 pinch salt, into a pasty consistency. This should be done 1 hour prior to deep-frying boorulu later in step 12, as this needs to be left aside for an hour.
6. Put 2 tsps ghee in a kadai, and add coconut and saute for 2 minutes.
7. Add into the moong dhal mixture.
8. Add 1/4 cup water into jaggery and set to boil in medium flame, till it gets a sticky consistency.
9. Once jaggery syrup is ready, add into the moong dhal mixture.
10. Add powdered elaichi into the mixture.
11. Add a pinch of salt into this and make lemon sized balls.
12. Dip into the rice/urad flour paste and deep fry till golden color.
13. Serve hot or cool.

Mint Coriander Pulao

Ingredients:

Rice - 2 cups
Pudina leaves (washed and chopped) - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves (washed and chopped) - 1/2 cup
Potatoes (medium sized) - 2
Carrot (medium sized) - 1
Peas - 1/2 cup
Mealmaker (optional) - 1/2 cup
Ginger (grated fine) - 1.5 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Vegetable oil - 2 tsp
Ghee - 4 tsp (or if you skip oil, you can put 6 tsp ghee)
Cinnamon - 1 stick (about 1.5 inch)
Star aniseed - 2 petals
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Clove - 2
Green chilli - 1

Method:
1. Wash the rice, soak for 15 minutes.
2. Wash and cut the vegetables and keep aside.
3. Dry grind cinnamon and star aniseed and put aside.
4. Put oil/ghee in a pan, add clove, coriander powder and grated ginger, and saute for half a minute.
5. Now add the vegetables. Add salt, chilli powder and turmeric.
6. Now add chopped pudina leaves and coriander leaves.
7. Add ground cinnamon and star aniseed powder and saute for 4 minutes in medium flame.
8. Transfer sauted contents to pressure cooker.
9. Drain water from rice and add rice to the cooker. Add 5.5 cups of water and keep on medium flame.
10. When the mixture starts to boil, taste the mixture for salt. Place lid and cook for 3 whistles. After 3 whistles, put on low flame and continue to cook for 3 minutes.
11. Serve hot with yoghurt raita.


Variation: Do not put pudina and coriander leaves. Instead, add 1/3 cup grated and ground coconut to the 5.5 cups of water while mixing with rice. Also, add 2 tomatoes to the vegetables.

Ksheera Anna - Milk and Rice Sweet

Hesaru Bele Kosambari - Broken Green Gram Salad

Kadag Puli - Mustard Tamarind Gravy

Ingredients:

• Vegetables - such as sweet pumpkin, bottle gourd, cucumber, cabbage
• Curry leaves - 2 stalks
• Cooking oil - 1/4 tsp
• Mustard

To grind:

• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Chilli - 4
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Hing - 1/4 tsp
• Rice grains - 1 tsp
• Tamarind - Lemon sized
• Jaggery - 1 or 2 tbsp depending on your taste
• Coconut - 3/4 cup

Method:

1. Grind all ingredients for grinding with appropriate amount of water. 
2. Cook vegetables with salt. Do not add excess water while cooking.
3. Add ground paste and curry leaves to the cooked vegetables and let it boil for 10 minutes.
4. Garnish with mustard and hing spluttered in 1/4 tsp of cooking oil.
5. Serve hot with hot rice and ghee.

Cabbage Pakoda - A perfect snack for a rainy evening

Ingredients:

• Oil - for deep frying

For mixing:

• Cabbage - 3/4 cup
• Besan (Channa gram flour) - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 1/3 cup
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Hing (Asafoetida) - 1/4 tsp
• Oil - 1/4 cup for mixing 
• Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
• Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Mix all the above ingredients with appropriate amount of water to form a sticky paste. If too dry, add more water, but do not make it watery.
2. Make lemon sized balls and deep fry in oil till golden brown. 
3. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or mint sauce.