Semiya Upma/Vermicelli upma

INGREDIENTS:

1. Semiya (Vermicelli) - 2 cups
2. Potato - 1
3. Onion - 1
4. Green Chilli - 3 to 4
5. Seasoning Ingredients(some Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Channa dal)
6. Salt to taste
7. Ghee or Dalda
8. Water - 2 1/2 cups

PROCEDURE:

1. Take a frying pan add 1 tbsp ghee, when it is hot enough add semiya to it and roast them on medium heat until they turn light golden yellow color and keep it aside. Chop all the vegetables.

2. Take another frying pan and add 2tbsps oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, channa dal and fry them till channa turns golden brown color.Then add chopped green chilli, fry for 1 min and add chopped onions and little salt and fry them until the onions are transparent. Then to it add the chopped potatoes and very little salt and cover and cook them till the potatoes are soft (adding salt and cover cooking helps to cook potatoes faster).

3. After all the vegetables are cooked add water and adequate amount of salt (Taste the water to check for salt). When water reaches its boiling point add the roasted semiya and cover and cook for another 6-7 mins by stirring occasionally. (If semiya is cooked it breaks easily when pressed with finger). 

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Tomato Rice

INGREDIENTS:

1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Tomatoes - 2 (medium)
3. Onion - 1 (small)
4. Green chillies - 2
5. Ginger - 1 tbsp (chopped)
6. Red chillies - 2
7. Red chilli powder - 1/4 tbsp
8. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
9. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tbsp
10. Urid dal - 1/4 tbsp
11. Channa dal - 1 tbsp
12. Cashews - 1 tbsp
13. Curry leaves - 3 to 4
14. Coriander leaves
15. Hing
16. Salt 

PROCEDURE:

Take a pan add oil, when oil is hot enough add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and channa dal and fry till the channa dal is slightly brown. Then add the cashew nuts and fry till they are slightly brown. 
Then add chopped ginger, green chilli, curry leaves, onions and salt and fry them till the onions are transparent. Add little bit of hing, tomatoes and red chilli powder and cook till the tomatoes are fully cooked.
Then add the boiled rice and mix it well and garnish it with coriander leaves.

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Capsicum Rice

INGREDIENTS:

1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Capsicum - 1
3. Peanuts - 4 to 5 tbsp
4. Red chillies - 3 to 4
5. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp
6. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
7. Urid dal - 1/2 tbsp
8. Coriander seeds - 1/2 tbsp
9. Curry leaves - 5 to 6
10. Garam Masala powder - 1/4 tbsp
11. Coriander leaves
12. Salt

PROCEDURE:

Take a pan add red chillies, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and urid dal and dry roast them (without adding oil) till you see the urid dal light brown. Then add peanuts and dry roast them till peanuts turn into golden brown color. Then add curry leaves to it and fry for 1 more min.

Put all the ingredients in a mixer and blend them to a coarse powder. And add garam masala powder to it and keep it aside.

Take another pan add oil, chopped capsicum and salt and cook for 4-5 mins. Cook little less to keep the crunchiness in the capsicum. Then add the peanut masala power to it and cook it for 1 more minute. Now add the cooked rice and mix all the ingredients well. At last garnish it with coriander leaves.

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Masala Khichadi / Spicy Khichadi

INGREDIENTS:

1. Rice - 1 1/4 th cup
2. Toor Dal - 3/4th cup
3. Onion - 1 (medium)
4. Potatoes - 1 Large
5. Carrot - 1 no
6. Green peas - 1/2 cup (frozen or fresh)
7. Green chillies - 2 nos
8. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
9. Cinnamon Stick - 2 inch stick
10. Peanuts - 2 tbsps
11. Black Pepper - 8 to 10 seeds
12. Hing - 1/8th tbsp
13. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tbsp
14. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
15. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
16. Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
17. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp
18. Salt to taste

PROCEDURE:

1. Wash 11/4 th cup rice (1:2 ratio) and 3/4 th cup toor dal (1:2 ratio) and keep it a side. Chop all the vegetables and keep them ready. Take a pressure cooker add some oil, when the oil is hot enough add mustard seeds,cumin seeds, urad dal and black pepper. Let them roast for few seconds. 

2. Then add cinnamon stick and raw peanuts and fry till peanuts turn into golden brown. Then add hing, turmeric powder and onions and fry them for 2-3 mins. Then add ginger garlic paste, green chillies and fry for 1 more minute. 

3. Now add chopped potatoes, carrots and green peas. Then add the soaked rice and toor dal. Now add 4 cups of water and mix all ingredients well. 

4. Add red chilli powder and salt to water. Taste the water to check for salt and chilli powder. Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles. Serve this masala khichadi hot.

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Chekodi

INGREDIENTS:

1. Rice Flour - 1 cup
2. Moong dal - 1 tbsp
3. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
4. Red chilli powder
5. Salt

PROCEDURE:

For preparing chekodi take a bowl and add 1 spoon oil , water  ( For 1cup Rice Flour = 1 1/2 cup water), moong dal, cumin seeds, salt and red chilli powder and boil them.(add salt and red chilli powder plenty enough to give good taste after adding rice flour to it.) Taste the water, if the water is salty and little spicy then 
Then add the rice flour to boiled water and mix it gently with the spoon without any clumps and close the container immediately after mixing.
For making chekodi, apply oil to both your hands and plate.Then take some paste and make a ball and roll on plate like a 5mm dia rope and connect the two ends.

Now take some oil in the deep frying pan and heat it well then add the chekodi and let them fry until they change color.

DON'T EXPOSE EITHER PASTE OR CHEKODI TO AIR ALWAYS CLOSE THEM WITH SOME LID.

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Mint Rice (Pudina Rice)

INGREDIENTS:

1. Mint Leaves - 2 cups (1 bunch)
2. Onions - 1 
3. Green Chillies - 8
4. Green peas - 1 cup
5. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp
6. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
7. Channa dal - 1/2 tbsp
8. Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
9. Garam Masala Powder - 1 tbsp
10. Cardamom - 2 seeds
11. Cloves - 2
12. Salt to taste
13. Oil

PROCEDURE:

Take a pan add 1 spoon oil and to it add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, channa dal, cardamom, cloves and chopped green chillies and fry them for 2- 3 mins.
When the chillies are half fried add chopped onions and ginger garlic paste and cook them for 3-4 mins.
Then to it add green peas, garam masala powder, chopped mint leaves, salt and fry them for 2- 3 mins and take it off from the stove.
Then take the raw rice and add water and the above whole mixture to it and taste the water to check for salt. Then cook it in a cooker just like plain rice.

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Lemon Rice / Nimmakaya Pulihora

INGREDIENTS:

1. Rice - 2 cups
2. Lemon - 2 small
3. Green Chillies - 5 to 6
4. Red chillies - 1
5. Salt - 1 1/2 tbsp
6. Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp
7. Peanuts - 2 tbsp
8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
9. Channa dal - 1 tbsp
10. Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp
11. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
12. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp
13. Curry leaves - 4
14. Hing

PROCEDURE: 

1. Wash the rice and cook it by adding 3 to 4 drops of oil in water (1 cup rice = 2 cup water) and allow it to cool. Chop green chillies and lemon and keep a side.

2. Take some oil in a pan and heat it well, then add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, channa dal mix them. Now add peanuts, turmeric powder and fry for 2 min then add cashew nuts and hing and fry for 2 more minutes. Then add the green chillies, red chillies and curry leaves and salt to it and fry till all the seeds turn to golden brown color. Add this seasoning and lemon juice to the cooked rice and mix them gently.

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