Palak / Spinach Thambuli

Ingredients:

Palak / spinach - 1 big handful
Yogurt - 1/2 Cup
Fresh coconut - 1/2 Cup
Salt - As Required
Green chilly - 2
Jeera / Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper - 10 to 15
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Red chilly - 1
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Ghee / oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1) Thoroughly wash spinach and roughly chop them.
2) In a pan, add 1/2 tsp ghee , add jeera, pepper and when its fried golden brown add Green chilies and fry well.
3) Now add Washed Spinach and fry until soft and done. 
4) Turn off the heat and let it cool
5) Once cooled down, add this mixture to blender along with coconut and salt with very little water and grind into fine paste.
6) Now add Yogurt  and pulse it.
7) Transfer the content to a bowl. Adjust the consistency if required.
8) In another small pan, add remaining ghee and once its hot add mustard,, jeera, red chilly with hing and prepare seasoning.
9) Add this seasoning to the Tambuli in bowl.

Palak Thambuli is ready to be served with Rice or as side dish for Pulav.

Note: 

1) Keep the thambuli thick if using with rice and keep it thin by adding more yogurt if using as a drink

2) spinach can be replaced with any other green leafy vegetable.

3) Oil can be used as an alternative.

4) Dry coconut can be used as an alternative but thambuli tastes good only with Fresh grated coconut.

Ghee rice

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 2 Cups
Onion (sliced) - 1
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Cloves - 3
Peppercorns - 1/4 tsp.
Bay leaves - 2
Cinnamon Stick - 1/2 inch.
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 2 tsp.

Water  - 2 Cups

Method:

1) Wash and soak the rice in water for about 30 minutes. Drain the water and keep aside.

2) Heat oil in a deep-bottomed vessel (in which you cook rice) and temper the cumin seeds. Now add onions and sauté till they are golden brown and transparent.

3) Now add the cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns and bay leaves, Let them fry for about 2 minutes till they start releasing wonderful aroma.

4) Drained the water from rice and add to the pan. Mix well. Now let it cook for about a minute.

5) Add 2 cups of water to the pan and let cook on medium flame till all the water is absorbed and rice is cooked. 

6) Remove from flame and serve hot.

Note:

1) Water for soaking is mandatory. Add water until all the rice sinks.

2) Ghee can be replaced with oil. but Ghee rice tastes good with Ghee.
3) Basmati rice can be replaced with Sona masoori rice too.

Edible Gum / Gond Burfi

Ingredients:

Ghee / Clarified butter - 6 tbsp
Gond / dinka / edible gum / anutu - 1/2 cup (100 gm)
Cashew / kaju - 2 tbsp (chopped)

Almonds / badam - 2 tbsp (Chopped)

Raisins - 2 tbsp
Dry coconut - 1 1/2 cup (100 gm)

Poppy seeds / khus khus- 2 tbsp
Dry khajur / dry dates, seedless - 3/4 cup (100 gm) 
Cardamom powder / elachi powder - 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg powder / jaiphal powder - 1/4 tsp
Jaggery - 1 cup (200 gm)
Water - 2 tbsp

Method:

1) In a pan , add around 1 tbsp ghee and roast gond in batches until they all are fluffed up like puffed rice. Add Ghee if necessary for each batch.

2) Crush the gond using your hand or with a help of rolling pin to get a fine powder. 

3) Roast all dry fruits, dry dates, dry coconut and poppy seeds separately in a pan and keep it aside.

4) Now add these to the powdered gond. Also, add  cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Mix well.

5) In a pan, Add Jaggery and 2tbsp water and get 1 string jaggery syrup.

6) Add the syrup over dry fruit mixture and mix well.

7) Quickly Grease your hand with ghee and make ladoo's while the mixture is still warm if you can or you can mix the mixture and spread it evenly in a greased pan.

8) Once partially cooled cut them into squares to get the burfi.

Gond Burfi is ready to be savored. 

Note:

1) Do not use mixer to make powder of roasted gond.

2) Grease the pan before pouring the final mixture to get burfi easily out of the pan.

3) Burfi can be stored for over a month in a Airtight container.

Dill Leaves Poori

Ingredients:

Dill Leaves - 1/2 cup (Finely chopped)
Ajwayen - 1/4 tbsp
Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Salt - as needed
Oil - For frying

Method:

1) Mix all the ingredients with enough water.
2) Make small balls and spread it into thin circles.
3) Fry Poori in oil and enjoy.

Dill Leaves Poori is ready to be served with coconut chutney or Potato Sagu.

Girmit / Masala Puffed Rice

Ingredients:

Oil - 4 tsp 
Mustard -1 tsp 
Cumin - 1/2 tsp 
Curry leaves - Few
Onion -  1 (finely chopped)
Green chilli - 2 (finely chopped)
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt - As Required
Putani powder / roasted gram powder - 4 tsp
Tamarind extract - 1/2 Cup
Jaggery - 1/2 tsp
Churumuri / mandakki / puffed rice - 2 Cups
Tomato - 1  (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves - 2 tsp
Sev / mixture - Handful

Method: 

1) In a kadai, add oil. Once hot  add mustard, jeera and curry leaves. allow to splutter.
2) Now keep 2 tsp onion aside and add onion, green chilli to kadai. saute well.
3) Add turmeric, salt. saute for a minute.
4) Add tamarind extract, jaggery and boil for 3 minutes.
5) Once boiled add 1 tsp putani powder and mix well. Turn off flame and Masala is ready.
6) In a mixing Bowl, add churumuri, girmit masala, 2 tbsp onions, 2 tbsp tomato and 3 tsp putani powder. Mix well.


Garnish Girmit with few coriander leaves and handful of sev / mixture.

Bisi Bele Bath - Version 3 (Easy and Quick)

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 2 medium
Potato - 1/2 cup chopped
Sambhar Onion / Small Onion - around 6 
Carrot - 1/2 cup chopped
Peas - 1/2 cup
Beans - 1/2 cup chopped
Bisi bele bath powder - 4 tbsp
Salt - as required
Tamarind pulp - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 8 
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 1/4 tbsp
Hing - 1/4 tbsp
Byadgi chilli / strong color chilli - 2 (For tempering)
Shredded Coconut - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
Rice - 1 cup

Method: 

1) Pressure cook Toor dal with 1/4 tbsp of turmeric for 2 whistle.
2) Cook rice in a cooker / rice cooker and keep it aside.
3) Pressure Cook all the vegetables except tomato with lot of water (Must be more than vegetables).
4) In a mixie jar, add coconut and Bisibelebath powder and grind into fine paste.
5) In a kadai, add tamarind pulp, toor dal, Vegetables along with Chopped Tomato and give a good mix.
6) After one boil, add Grinded masala paste, and salt. Boil for 2mins.
7) Now add Cooked Rice and mix well. Add water to adjust consistency. 
8) In another pan, add Ghee, mustard. Wait until it splutters. Add Curry leaves, hing and Red chilli.
10) Add this seasoning to the cooked bisi bele bath and Mix well. Garnish this with coriander leaves. Turn off flame after 2 mins.

Delicious Bisi bele bath is ready to eat. Serve hot with Boondi / Potato chips / Papadam.

Note:

1) Make sure the consistency is watery. Serve hot with topping of ghee.

2) Peas can be substituted with Double beans.
3) Chayote, Regular onion can also be added.

Peralam Cashew Vadai

Ingredients:

Cashews - 1 cup

Ginger - 1 Inch

green chilies - 3

Salt - As Required

Raw rice - 2 tbsp

Method:

1) Soak cashew and rice for 30 mins and grind into fine paste with out adding any water.

2) To this add sufficient Salt and mix well.

3) Take some of the mixture and flatten with a hole same like vada and fry until golden brown.

Peralam Cashew Vada is ready to be served with Sauce or Coriander Chutney.