Instant Mango Pickle

Honestly this is one of the very few pickle I know to make perfectly :P (I hope so!!). Both my mom and granny are experts in making all types of pickle as it is a must in our home to accompany curd rice. However in my in laws place we rarely use pickle. So I usually get most of complex pickle either from my mom or from stores!! However this is an instant yet very yummy pickle which can be made in a jiffy. The only work involved is chopping mangoes finely. As the name suggests this pickle is served in most of the marriages and make the best combo for curd rice. However I love this with upmas too (arisi kurunai upma especially!). We even mix this with plain rice and pair it with roasted papad. Tastes heavenly in all forms. 

PS: I clubbed "curd rice" along with this post as it is a simple dish makes best pair with this pickle. Hope you guys like the post too !!   

Instant Mango Pickle

Cuisine: Indian Category: Side dish Difficulty level: Easy Prep Time: 25 mins Cook time: 5 mins Yeilds: 1.5 cup

Ingredients Raw mango 1 big sized Fenugreek seeds 1 Tsp Chilli Powder 4 Tsp Salt 1 Tsp Turmeric 1/2 Tsp Gingelly oil 1/4 Cup Mustard 1 Tsp Asafetida 1/4 Tsp For Curd rice Cooked rice 2 Cup Thick Curd 1 Cup Milk 1/4 Cup Salt 1 Tsp Oil 2 Tsp Mustard 1 Tsp Urad dal 1 Tsp Asafetida A generous pinch Curry leaves 1 spring Dry red chilli/ mor milagai 4-5 Preparation      1.     Chop the mango very finely. Mix salt , turmeric and Chilli powder and leave it for 10-15 minutes.      2.     In the meantime dry roast the fenugreek seeds for 2-3 minutes. You can crush it coarsely using mortar and pestle. I used to roast 5 Tsp methi seeds and grind in mixie since we use this powder for most of the pickle.

Method            1.     Add gingelly oil to pan  and once the oil is hot enough temper with mustard, 1 Tsp fenugreek powder and asafetida. Add the chopped mango and mix everything well.      2.     Switch off the flame and transfer the pickle to some airtight container. Usually its good to store pickle in china clay vessels or glass jar.     3.     For curd rice first add salt, curd and milk to the cooked rice and mix well. Heat oil and temper with mustard, red chili, urad dal, asafetida and curry leaves in the same order. Add this to the curd rice and mix.      4.     Enjoy curd rice with kalyana mangai :).

Notes       ·         The mango should be sour to get a nice pickle. In our place we get a variety of mango named "Vazhapoo jadhi mangai" which works best for this pickle.       ·         You can simply taste few pieces of mango and adjust spice according to the sourness.       ·         This pickle tastes best when it is fresh. So finish it within a week. Always use dry spoon.      ·         If you feel oil is less heat some gingelly oil and mix to the pickle. Always use only gingelly oil for any pickle as it gives great taste and good for health too.     ·         For curd rice we can also add slit green chilies, grated mango bits, grated ginger, coriander leaves, fruits like grapes, pomegranate etc. I just made a basic version you can add above mentioned ingredients according to your preference and availability of materials.

Kalyana mangai is ready to be served !!! 

Home made Sambhar Powder

Though this is a very simple post I decided to write this for few reasons. It will be helpful for readers when they try few recipes where I use this home made sambhar powder. Beginners would get an idea about this powder too. There are many variations in the proportion and ingredients used for this powder and I follow my MIL's recipe as usual :). Once you taste the aroma of home made powder I am sure you wont feel like buying store bought powders!! Lets see the procedure to make sambhar powder.

Sambhar Powder

Cuisine: Indian Category: -- Difficulty level: Easy Prep Time: -- Cook time: 30 mins Servings: 2 Cups

Ingredients Dry Red Chilies 2 cups Dhania 1.5 Cups Toor Dal 1 Cups Urad Dal 1/4 Cup Channa Dal 1/4 Cup Pepper corns 1 Tsp Methi seeds 1 Tsp Curry leaves (optional) 1/4 Cup

Method             1.     Dry roast the dals along with dhania, pepper corns and methi seeds in medium flame for few minutes. Once the dals turn golden brown add curry leaves and saute for few minutes and switch off. Roast chili with 1 Tsp oil for 2-3 minutes.     2.     Cool down all the ingredients separately. First grind the chili for 2 minutes. Add the dry roasted ingredients and grind till you get smooth powder as shown.      3.     Store in air tight container and use a dry spoon.                                           Notes

·         You can use the same proportion and adjust quantity as per your preference. I use 4 fistful red chilies and dals in this proportion to get lesser quantity.      ·         If you want to grind in bulk amounts just sun dry all the ingredients separately for 2 days and grind in mills.       ·         If we grind in home the powder will be slightly coarse. But I prefer grinding fresh!!      ·         Stays good for many months. Always store in airtight container and use dry spoon. My mom insists to store it in stainless steel or glass container to retain aroma.

You can try the following kuzhambu using this powder :) 

• Paruppu urundai Kuzhambu
• Manathakali Vathalkuzhambu
• Vendhya Kuzhambu
• Sodhi Kuzhambu 

Jeera Rice

Jeera rice is one of my all time favorites. I have few super easy and yummy menus for lazy days and this rice is certainly one among them. But jeera rice comes handy when you want to prepare and rich north indian menu. Since this is a light dish it can be paired with other rich gravies and rotis to make a perfect combo! Posting my version hope you find it useful too :) .

Jeera Rice

Cuisine: Indian Category: Main Course Difficulty level: Easy Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook time: 15 mins Servings: 4

Ingredients Basmati Rice 2 cup Salt 1 Tsp To Temper Ghee 2 Tbsp Dry Red Chili 4-5 Shah Jeera 1/2 Tsp Asafetida A small pinch Curry leaves 1 spring Preparation     1.     Soak basmati rice in hot water for 30 mins. Assemble ingredients for tempering.

Method            1.     In pressure pan add 1 Tbsp ghee and once it gets heated temper the ingredients mentioned.      2.     Add the soaked rice along with 1 cup water and salt. Mix everything well and pressure cook in medium flame for 3 whistles.     3.     Once the rice is cooked add another tbsp ghee and fluff it with fork. Serve hot with raitha/ papad or sabji of your choice!!

Notes       ·         Do not add more water than mentioned. The rice should be just immersed in water.       ·         Cook in medium flame if you cook directly in pressure pan like me.      ·         If you can't get Shah jeera you can use normal jeera too. But shah jeera adds more flavor hence its recommended.

I love to pair it with papad and palak paneer :)