Minty Carrot Rice

Here is a very easy one pot meal for a week night dinner. The fresh smell of mint will remove all your stress y after a long day at work or managing your home.

I used a pressure pan, but you can cook the initial step in a pan and then cook the rice with all the other ingredients in a rice cooker too.

Get Ready ( serves 2-3)

• 1 large carrot  washed, peeled & grated
• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• A handful of fresh mint leaves
• 1 small onion thinly sliced
• 1 green chilli slit
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup water

To temper

• 1/2 tsp ghee/ clarified butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 green cards on
• 1 clove
• 1 small bay leaf
• 2 points of star anise
• 1 tbsp chopped cashews

Go

• In a small Pressure cooker or pan, add the ghee and olive oil. add the the ingredients under temper to the oil. once the the cashews turn golden, add the sliced onions and green chili.
• Saute till the onions are translucent.

• Add the grated carrots, peas, cumin powder, red chilli powder and toss them.
• Add the dry rice, water, salt to taste and mix.

• Adjust salt level, and then throw in the mint leaves.

• Cover and cook for 1 whistle and then simmer for 3-4 mins.
• Open the cooker once the steam is released.

• Serve hot with raita, papad or chips!

Variations : Add garlic, cilantro instead of mint leaves and using some coconut milk plus water to cook the rice.

Any left overs, are you kidding me?

Basil & Pepper Curry/ Basil Milagu Kozhambu

I had some left over basil leaves in my fridge after using it for my  Thai Green Curry. I have been thinking of doing Hmm... May be pesto, may be a caprese salad, but never got around to do anything!

My mom said that she was going to make Milagu Kuzhambu, which is basically a spicy pepper and tamarind gravy reduced pretty well to be eaten with rice. So I suggested to her to use the basil leaves in it. Back home mom used to make the same gravy with tons of curry leaves. So why not try with basil!

Well, it tasted so good and I want to share it with you all!

Black Pepper has a lot medicinal values too..Check this out!

Helps to improve digestion, bactericidal and help to fight of cold and cough!

With School being started many kids and adults are fighting off colds and cough now. So here is perfect curry to combat the cold!

Get ready:

• 1 tsp black pepper corn
• 1/2 tsp urad dal
• 1/2 tsp Chana dal
• 1 red chilli
• 1/8th tsp Hing Asafetida
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• Basil leaves a hand full
• Tamarind a small ping pong ball size
• 1 cup  warm water
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp Ghee

For tempering:
1 tsp Oil
1 tsp mustard seeds

Get Going:

• Soak the tamarind in water for 5 mins and make a thick extract, keep aside.
• In a pan add 1 tsp ghee and roast the pepper corn, urad dal, channa dal, red chilli and hing till the dals are golden. Turn off the heat and add the basil leaves. It will wilt with the heat in the pan.
• Transfer to a blender and grind into a paste when cooled.
• Add the ground paste, turmeric powder, salt to taste to the tamarind extract.If it's too thick add a little water .
• In the same pan that you roasted the pepper, add some oil. When hot add the mustard seeds and let it splutter.
• Add the tamarind extract mixture and let it come to a boil.
• Simmer and cook till the raw smell is gone or the extract reduces to 2/3 rd it's original volume.
• Turn off the heat.
• Enjoy with rice and a spoon of ghee with any vegetables or papad.

Sendind this to Low oil/ low calorie started by Pari and hosted by mharorajasthanrecipes
and Akila's DNSW B

The Kick from the pepper will wake up all your senses if you are feeling "Blah" in the middle of the week! :))

ENJOY!

Basil

I bought a packet of basil from our local farmers market and did'nt know how to use them. I loved the fragrance and was desparate to use it in my cooking. Unfortunately my husband is not a fan of trying new things or the smell of basil.

Just to give you some facts, basil is widely used in Italian cooking. It is called "Ocimum basilicum". the smell reminds me of our good old "Tulsi" which is called Ocimum tenuiflorum. Apparently it tulsi is also called holy basil.

So i finally madea basil coconut chutney and basil thogayal. Boy, let me tell you it was super delish.

I will post my recipie for these two.

Basil chutney

basil leaves a hand ful

coconut 2 tbsp

tamarind paste 1tsp

green chilli 4

grind all the above and add salt to taste. Season it with mustard seeds and urad dhal. chutney is ready. serve for idli or dosa.

Basil thogayal

basil leaves 1/4 cup

urad dhal 2 tbsp

red chillies 2

perungayam a pinch

tamarind paste 1 tsp

In a pan, fry urad dhal and red chilli with litle oil till golden brown. the nadd the basil leaves and fry them as you would do for pudhina thogayal. let it cool and grind all the ingredients with salt and perungayam. in thogayal consistency. It tastes goodwith rice, bread and chapathi.