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 :)  

Mac 'n' Cheese

"Mac 'n' Cheese" is a popular snack/ breakfast item. It is basically macaroni pasta cooked in a cheesy sauce. Its very easy and kids friendly recipe. After quite number of south Indian dish posts I wanted to make a versatile post. Love the mild sweetness of this pasta. I wont say this is the authentic recipe but this sauce works pretty well for us both while making mac 'n' cheese and for using in other pasta based dishes! Sharing my version hope you like it too :).

MacAroni and Cheese

Cuisine: Italian Category: Breakfast Difficulty level: Easy Prep Time: -- Cook time: 20 mins Servings:  2

Ingredients Macaroni pasta 1/2 cup Salt 1/2 tsp flat Olive oil 1 Tsp For white sauce Pasta Maida 1 Tsp Heaped Butter 1 Tbsp Garlic 2 flakes Milk 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese 1 Tbsp Salt 1/4 Tsp flat Chilli Flakes A small pinch Italian Seasoning A small pinch

Method     1.     In pan boil 2 cup water adding salt and olive oil. Once water starts boiling add the macaroni and cook for 8-10 minutes. Drain the cooked pasta and rinse it with cold water.     2.     Chop the garlic flakes very finely and grate the cheese. In a heavy bottomed pan add butter and once it melts add garlic along with maida and sauté in medium flame for few minutes.     3.     Slowly add milk and keep stirring to avoid any lumps. You can use a whisk at this stage. Add grated cheese and keep stirring for 2-3 minutes till the sauce thickens. Add cooked pasta and mix well.    4.     Check for salt at this stage and add if necessary. Finally garnish with chili flakes and Italian seasoning. Serve hot immediately!

Notes       ·         Take care not to over roast the maida. Saute in medium flame for 2-3 minutes to get nice aroma.       ·         Do not add more maida than the mentioned amount.       ·         In case you find some lumps in the sauce you can strain it and use the sauce.       ·         Cheese will have salt in it so add salt finally as mentioned according to your taste.       ·         You can skip garlic and olive oil if they are not available. But I recommend to use them otherwise.

Easy and yummy pasta ready :)!!!  

Uppuchar - Sesame seeds Sambhar

Uppuchar is undoubtedly my most favourite kuzhambu as I am big fan of any dish made with sesame seeds flavour. This gravy is usually served in all shrarthams (death anniversary of elders) but we make in home on normal days too. Since we add lot of veggies to this flavourful gravy we don't even need a separate side dish. A simple keerai masiyal along with steamed would make a perfect combo with this kuzhambu. This gravy tastes even better the next day! Lets see how to make uppuchar today :). 

Uppuchar

Cuisine: Indian Category: Main Course Difficulty level: Medium Prep Time: 15 mins Cook time: 20 mins Servings: 4

Ingredients Tamarind Gooseberry sized ball Mixed veggies* 1/2 cup Salt 1 Tsp Turmeric 1/4 Tsp To roast and grind Oil 1 Tsp Urad dal 1 Tsp Channa dal 1 Tsp Methi seeds 1/2 Tsp Dry red chilies* 10-12 Curry leaves few Sesame seeds* 2 Tsp Raw rice 1 Tsp To Temper Gingelly oil 1 Tbsp Curry leaves 1 spring Mustard 1/2 Tsp Preparation     1.     Soak tamarind in hot water and extract juice. Chop the veggies to medium sized chunks.           2.     Add oil to pan and roast the dals, methi seeds, curry leaves along with red chili till they are roasted well. Roast sesame seeds and rice separately till the sesame seeds starts spluttering.     3.     Cool down the roasted ingredients separately. Grind the dals and chili first. Finally add sesame seeds and rice and blend for another minute to get a fine powder.

Method             1.     Boil the vegetables by adding water. Cook till they become soft and tender.      2.     Add the tamarind juice along with turmeric and salt. Boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes off. Add the ground powder and mix without any lumps and boil for few more minutes.     3.     Finally temper with ingredients mentioned and serve!!

Notes      ·         Usually brinjal, bitter guard, broad beans and plantain are added for this gravy. You can mix and match the veggies according to their availability.      ·         Number of red chili vary according to nature of the chili and our spice level. Usually I prefer round chilies and 12 works best for us.     ·         You can add either black sesame seeds or reddish ones. white sesame is not used much in "Tam Brahm" cuisine.       ·         Color of the gravy depends on nature of the tamarind also.      ·         Rice is used for thickening. This is a thick, rich and spicy gravy in general with the strong flavor of gingelly oil and sesame.

Tastes best with curd rice :)!!!