Jiffy cooking & Planning of Menus for all occasions at home.

Jiffy Curry Leaf Powder - when some good curry leaves & rice are left over !

Curry leaf Powder:

Curry leaves - 1 cup

Red chillies - 3

Pepper - 1 tsp

Tur dhal - 4 tsp

Urad dhal - 3 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Salt

Spread curry leaves in a plate & MW for 3 mts (roughly) – this is to preserve the green colour.

Roast all other ingredients in a kadai, adding just 2-3 drops of oil, adding salt also last.

Powder along with curry leaves in a mixi, as fine as possible.

Old rice - 1 cup

Steam the rice for 2-3 mts.

In a kadai, heat 1 tbsp oil & temper 1 tsp mustard seeds & 1 red chilli.

Add the rice, 1 tbsp powder & switch off.

Toss everything together thoroughly, till uniformly mixed.

Serve with chips or papad, for a jiffy.


If idlis are left over, proceed as follows:

If the idlis are cold, just steam for 2 mtes, to freshen them up.

Heat oil & temper mustard seeds & red chilli.

Add idlis & sprinkle curry leaf powder uniformly all over.

 

Sprouts stir-fry - Eat it like a snack, ofcourse, a protein-packed one !

Sprouts - 1 cup

Onions, chopped - ½ cup

Tomatoes, chopped - ½ cup

Coriander leaves, chopped - 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Jeera powder - ½ tsp

Black salt - ¼ tsp

Powdered fried gram - 1 tbsp (pottuukadalai)

Oil - 1 tbsp

Jeera - ½ tsp

Salt

Drop the sprouts in boiling water, allow to boil for 2 mts.

Strain & use.

Heat oil, add jeera first & then onions.

When they turn transparent, add tomatoes.

Next add all ingredients except the powder & coriander leaves.

Stir on a high flame for 3 mts, sprinkle powder & coriander leaves.

Mix & serve.

 

Sambar Saadam - made with left over rice and dhal !

This can be made with fresh rice and dhal as well.

Cooked rice - 2 cups

Cooked tur dhal - ½ cup

Fry in ½ tsp oil & powder:

Red chillies - 2, 3

Pepper - ½ tsp

Tur dhal - 1 tsp

Gram dhal - 1 tsp

Dhania - 2 tsp

Methi seeds - ½ tsp

Coconut - 2 tbsp

Cloves - 2

Jathipathri ( mace) - a small piece

Khus khus - 1 tsp

To temper:

Oil + ghee - 3 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

Salt

Boiled vegetables - 1 cup (fresh or frozen)

Mix, cooked rice & dhal, boiled vegetables, prepared powder, salt, tamarind paste With 1 cup or more of water to get the desired consistency.

Keep this in a vessel inside a pressurecooker & cook for one whistle.

Cool, open & lightly mash to get a soft consistency.

Temper & garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with raitha & karuvadam.

 

Stir-fry Peanut Rice - Peanut lovers, don’t miss this out!

We love the taste of peanuts – boiled or roasted ! For this recipe, you can use left over rice; it becomes a jiffy dish !

Cooked grainy rice - 1 cup

To roast in 2-3 drops of oil:

Red chillies - 2

Urad dhal - 1 tbsp

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp ( can substitute copra)

And powder, adding finally

Roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp

Salt

After adding groundnuts, do not powder for too long – peanuts will start leaving oil.
The powder must be coarse.

To temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Heat oil & temper.

Add cooled rice, powder and little salt, if necessary.

Saute for 2 mts & remove.

Serve with chips or papad or karuvadam.

 

Jiffy Dosas - - Can you spare 2 hrs, please?

Grind in the flour machine together, to a fine powder & store:


Wheat - 2 level cups


Raw rice - 2 heaped cups


Methi seeds - 3 tsp


Urad dhal 1/3 cup (not more)


Mix with water mixed with little buttermilk for 2-3 hrs, add salt & make dosas.

 

Mushroom-Stirfry Rice - try this with capsicum also !

Cooked rice - 2 cups

Onions - 2 big, sliced thin & long

Mushrooms - 5,6 ( slice thin & long)

Cinnamon - 2, 1” pieces

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Jeera powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala powder - ½ tsp

Lime juice - 1-2 tsp

Salt

Oil - 2 tbsp

Heat oil & temper cinnamon.

Then add onions & fry till brown.

Add mushrooms, all masalas & salt.

Cook for 2-3 mts, covered.

Add rice, salt & mix well.

Remove & add lime juice.

Serve hot with a vegetable dish or raitha.

 

Ginger-Garlic Rasam - Very jiffy, very tasty & ofcourse very easy !


Tamarind paste - 2-3 tsp

Salt, haldi

Fry in ½ tsp ghee:

Red chillies - 1-2

Tur dhal - 1 tsp

Pepper - ½ tsp

Dhaniya - ½ tsp

Jeera - ½ tsp

And grind with


Fresh ginger - 1 “

Garlic pieces - 7,8

To temper:

Ghee - ½ tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Boil, tamarind paste with 1 cup of water, salt & haldi for a few mts.

Add the paste, required amount of water & simmer to froth.

Remove & temper.

This can be prepared by one-whistle method also.

 

Sprouts Pesarat - stocking sprouts comes in handy for this !

This comes out unbelievably soft, with minimum oil.

Sprouts - 1 cup

Ginger - 1”

Green chillies - 2, 3 (or to taste)

Hing - ½ tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Dosa or idli batter - 1 cup

Salt

Oil - to make pesarat

Grind to a paste, sprouts, green chillies & ginger with minimum water.

Add to dosa batter with jeera, hing & a little salt.

Make mini oothappams with just few drops of oil.

Serve with any chutney.

 

Capsicum Stir-fry Rice - unbelievable flavour of roasted capsicum!

Buy a fresh and firm, big capsicum. Insert a skewer & roast over flame till it gets uniformly roasted. Cool & chop. Roast 2 green chillies also the same way.
For all stir-fry rice varieties, butter gives the best flavour.

Cooked rice - 1 cup (cold, grainy)

Chopped capsicum - 1 cup

Chopped green chillies - 2 tsp

Chopped onions - ½ cup

Crushed garlic - 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Salt

In a kadai, hear butter.

Before it melts completely, add onions & sauté till glossy.

Add crushed garlic & fry for 2-3 mts.

Next add chopped capsicum & green chillies & finally coriander leaves.

Finally add rice & switch off.

Mix gently till well blended.

Serve with chips.

 

Rajma Stirfry - keep boiled rajma ready!

If you have cooked rajma ready, this can be prepared in a jiffy to go with parathas or a filling for grilled sandwiches or even as a snack, topped with sev !

Cooked rajma - 1 cup

Chopped onions - 2 tbsp

Chopped tomatoes - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt

Mince together:

Green chillies - 3,4

Ginger - 1 “

Garlic pieces - 4, 5

Coriander leaves - to garnish

In a kadai, heat oil.

Add onions first & sauté for a minute.

Then add the minced mixture & fry for a few secs.

Next add rajma, tomatoes & salt.

Cook on a high flame, stirring for 3 mts.

Switch off & garnish with coriander leaves.