Ulundu Sadam - typical recipes of southern districts of S I Ulundu Saadam with split white urad dhal: Thin variety of rice - 1 cup Urad dhal - 1/3 cup ( heaped) Garlic - 4,5 pieces Methi seeds - 1 tsp ( or less) Grated coconut - 1 cup Add warm water to coconut & extract milk 3 times. The milk should be 3 cups ( this depends on the grainy or little mushy consistency you prefer for the rice). Wash the rice & dhal & drain well. Add methi seeds, lightly crushed garlic, salt & cook till done. Serve with Potato Sambar ( given in idli sambars) Second method using split urad dhal with black skin: This dhal is specially very good for health. Boiled rice - 1 cup Dhal - 1/3 cup Grated coconut - ½ cup Garlic - 5,6 pieces Salt Roast dhal slightly. Mix washed rice, roasted dhal, grated coconut, peeled garlic & salt with 3-3 ½ cups water. Cook till done. Pressure cooking for 3 whistles is usually sufficient. This is served with raw gingelly oil & the following chutney: Til Chutney: Seasame seeds ( til) - 100 gms Grated coconut - ½ cup Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp Red chillies - 7,8 ( to taste) Roast seasame seeds till the splutter. Cool, add all other ingredients & grind to a chutney. Both the above rices can be served with avial & appalam.
Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice Long-grain rice - 1 ½ cups Water - 6 cups Carrot - 1 medium French beans - 12 Capsicum - 1 small Cauliflower - !/2 cup tiny flowerettes Spring onions - 2 Spring onion tops - 1 cup (finely chopped) Oil - 4 tbsp Aji no moto - ¼ tsp ( optional) Soya sauce - 4 tbsp Salt Wash the rice. Boil the water & add the rice & 1 tsp salt. Cook, uncovered over a medium flame, stirring occasionally, until the rice is just tender, but not overcooked. It is very important that every grain of rice should be separate. Drain the rice & allow it to stand till absolutely cold. Scrape the carrot & string the french beans. Drop the both into boiling water to which ½ tsp salt is added, for 1 mte. Drain, cool, then dice the carrot, beans & capsicum. Peel the onions & chop. Heat the oil in a wok & stirfry the onion & cauliflower over a high flame for 1 mte. Add the carrot, beans, capsicum, ajinimoto ( if you are using it ) & salt. Stir fry over a high flame for 2 mts. Add rice, soya sauce & spring onion tops. Stir fry over a high flame for 3-5 mins. Serve with vinegar chillies & chilli sauce. If preferred, soya sauce may be omitted.
Vegetable Biryani(1) - one of the many versions. Basmati rice - 1 cup Onion - 2 Green chillies - 3,4 – slit into 2 Mint leaves, chopped - ½ cup Coriander leaves, chopped - ½ cup Cardamom - 3 Cloves - 3 Cinnamon - 1” Bay leaves - 2 pieces Shah jeera - ½ tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Ghee - 2 tbsp Cut the following vegetables into thin long strips: Beans - ½ cup Carrots - ½ cup Peas - ½ cup Cauliflower ( small flowerettes) - ½ cup Curds - 1 cup Soak the following in curds: Tomatoes - 3 – chop fine Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1 tsp Haldi - a pinch Garam masala powder - ½ tsp Grind the following & add to curds: Ginger - 1: Garlic - 3 Green chillies - 4 Wash & soak rice for 15 mts. Drain & keep ready. Fry in 1 tbsp oil, shah jeera, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves &finally add rice. Cook to a grainy consistency, adding just about 1 1/2-2 cups of water ( or a little less depending on the rice) both leaves & very little salt. Heat the remaining ghee & oil, fry onions, green chillies & vegetables till tender.Add the greens also. Add curds soaked with the given masalas. Fry till thick gravy is formed. Spread alternate layers of rice & vegetable gravy in a round vessel. Bake in a medium oven, covered with aluminium foil. Or cover & cook over a tava on medium heat for 15 mts. Serve with raitha.
Kashmiri Pulao-Ice cream Raita - grand names for simple dishes ! For SBS photos, please go to http://www.indusladies.com/forums/971266-post3.html Basmati - 1 cup Ghee - 4 tbsp Onion - 1 Tutti frutti red & green coloured ( mixed fruits used for fruit cakes) - each 1 tbsp Dry cucumber seeds - 1 tbsp Charoli or chironji - 1 tbsp Sultanas or raisins - 1 tbsp ( fry in 1 tsp ghee) Fresh green seedless grapes - ½ cup Pineapple in syrup - 3 round slices, chopped Salt, sugar Fry in 2,3 drops of ghee & powder: (1) Cinnamon - 1 ‘ Cloves - 5 Fry in 2,3 drops of ghee & powder: (2) Red chillies - 3 Gram dhal - 1 tsp Dhaniya - 1 tsp Jeera - ½ tsp Cook rice with 1 tsp ghee in such a way that grains are separate. Spread in a bowl. Add powder no 1 & powder no: 2. Add all other ingredients except pineapple & green grapes. Fry onion in 1 tbsp ghee & add. Mix the rest of the ghee & add. Heat the entire mixture after thoroughly mixing everything. Just before serving add pineapple pieces & green grapes. Ice cream Raita: Fresh curds ( not at all sour) - 1 cup Vanilla ice cream - 100 ml pack Cucumber - 1 - chop Chop into bits: Apple - 1 Ripe mango - 1 medium Banana - 1 Salt, sugar Vanilla essence - few drops Squeeze the cucumber pieces to remove the extra water. Keep curds in a bowl. Add fruits, sugar, salt & squeezed cucumber. Whisk in ice cream & essence. Mix well, chill & serve. You can use any other flavour in ice cream, but the essence should also be the same.
Alu Masala Bath - addition of coconut gives it an interesting taste ! For SBS photos, please go to http://www.indusladies.com/forums/971267-post4.html Rice ( thin variety) - 1 cup Potatoes - 2 – peel & chop Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1 tsp Cinnamon - 1” Cardamom - 4 Peppercorns - 8 Garlic flakes - 8 - chop Onions - 2 big - chop Oil + ghee - 3 tbsp Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Coriander leaves - ½ cup Lime juice - 2-3 tsp Wash & soak rice for 15 mts. Drain & keep ready. Heat ghee & oil in a pressure pan. Fry rice & ( well rinsed & washed) potatoes for a few mts & remove. In the remaining oil, ghee mixture, add cinnamon, cardamom & pepper. When they splutter, add chopped onion & garlic. Fry till the colour changes. Add 2 cups of water with salt, chilli powder, garam masala & lime juice. Add rice & potatoes & allow to boil. When boiling starts, close the pan & keep the weight. Reduce the flame & cook for 10 mts. Cool & open. Garnish with grated coconut & choppped coriander leaves. Serve with any raita.
Brinj Rice - also called Brinji in South Indian Eateries ! Vegetables like carrot, beans, cauliflower, peas, potatoes can be used. Chop them very fine. Or they can be even minced. Basmati - 1 cup Mixed vegetables - 1 cup Coconut - ½ cup Green chillies - 4,5 – slit into 2 Salt Saffron powder - a tiny pinch Bay leaves - 2,3 pieces Grind together: Saunf - ½ tsp Khus khus - 2 tsp Cashews - 7,8 Garlic - 5,6 To temper: Oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp Cinnamon - 1” Cardamom - 4 Curry leaves - few Heat 2 tbsp oil – ghee mixture, saute the minced vegetables till soft & keep. Was & soak rice for 15 mts. Then drain & keep ready. Add warm water to coconut & take 2 cups of milk. Heat the remaining ghee-oil mixture in a pressure pan. Temper as given, add ground paste, fry lightly & add rice. Fry rice for a few mts, add green chillies, sauted vegetables, salt & coconut milk. When the mixture starts boiling, close the cooker & immediately lower the flame. Cook for 10 mts & switch off. Cool & open – now fry the bay leaves in 1 tsp ghee & add along with saffron powder. Cover the cooker, keep the weight for 10 mts , but do not cook anymore. Open the cooker after 15 mts – the flavour of bay leaves ( brinji ilai in tamil) Is very pleasant & tasty. Since this rice has no onions, it is best served with onion raita.
Kadugu Saadam - Rice with ground mustard seeds ! Thin variety of rice - 1 cup Ghee - 1 tbsp Salt To grind to a paste: Grated coconut - 3 tbsp Red chillies - 3,4 Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp Hing - ½ tsp Haldi To temper: Oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dhal - 1 tsp Red chilli - 1 Roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp Cook rice so that grains are separate. Spread on a plate & cool. Heat oil & temper the given ingredients. Remove the peanuts to be added later. Add the paste & fry for 2,3 mts till the raw smell disappears. Remove, add to the cooled rice with salt. Mix everything well, add ghee & peanuts.
Ghee Rice - Perfect with Navratna Kurma. Basmati - 1 cup Coconut - ¾ cup Cashewnuts, broken into two - 10 Raisins - 1 tbsp Ghee - 3 tbsp Salt To temper: Cinnamon - 1” Cloves - 4 Cardamom - 4 Onions - 1 big or 2 medium - chop Green chillies - 7,8 ( or to taste) – slit into 2 Ginger - 1 “ – cut inti juliennes Curry leaves - few Garlic - 10 pieces Tomato - 1 – chop Wash & soak rice for 15 mts. Drain & keep ready. Add warm water to coconut & take 2 cups milk. In a pressure pan heat 2 trbsp ghee, fry in order one after the other - cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, onion, garlic, green chillies, ginger,, curry leaves & finally tomato. After all ingredients are well fried, add rice & fry for a few mts. Add coconut milk & salt. When everything boils together, close the cooker & keep the weight. At once lower the flame & cook for 10 mts. Cool & open. Fry cashews & raisins in the remaining ghee & garnish. This is excellent with vegetable or navratna kurma. Note: I once made the above recipe with just some peas & added green food colour to the rice. I am posting the photo below.
Mixed vegetable Saadam - no onions at all ! For this rice, vegetables like, carrots, beans, peas, cauliflower, potato etc can be used. Chop them into 1 “ pieces . Rice ( any thin variety) - 1 cup Mixed vegetables - 1 cup ( or more) Tamarind paste - 1 tsp Salt, haldi Oil - 3 tbsp To roast in 1 tsp oil & powder: Red chillies - 4, 5 Dhaniya - 3 tsp Urad dhal - 1 tsp Gram dhal - 1 tsp Peanuts - 1 tbsp Hing - ½ tsp Curry leaves - few Cook rice so that the grains are separate. Heat oil in a kadai, add the vegetables & haldi. Cover & cook the vegetables in their own steam, as far as possible, sprinkling very little water, if & when necessary. When they are almost cooked, add tamarind paste, ground powder & little salt. Simmer till they all blend well. Add the cooled rice & mix completely for uniformity. Add 2 tsp ghee for a nice flavour.
Celery-Mushroom Rice - Only flavour, no spice. Basmathi - 1 cup Chopped mushroom - 1 cup Chopped onion - 1 cup Chopped celery - 1 cup Salt Pepper - 1 tsp Oil - 3 tbsp Wash & soak rice for 30 mts. Drain well. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pressurepan, fry rice till stiff & remove. Heat the remaining oil & first fry mushrooms. They will first leave out water & then become dry. Keep separately & in the same way fry celery & onions also each separately. Now mix all fried ingredients, salt, 1 tsp pepper & 2 cups of water. When the water starts boiling vigorously, close the cooker & keep the weight. Lower the flame & cook for 10 mts. Cool & open. Serve hot with any spicy dish.