Bisibele Bhath

Adapted From

100 Rice Delights by Mallika Badhrinath

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Thuar Dhal - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - 1 big lime sized

Mixed Vegetables (chopped) - 1 cup

Green Peas - 1/4 cup

Small Onions - 1/2 cup (peeled)

Salt - 1 tbsp (or as per taste)

Ghee - 3 tbsp

Cashewnuts - 1 tbsp

For Masala Powder:

Red Chillies - 10

Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp

Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp

Urad Dhal - 1 tsp

Bengal Gram Dhal - 1 tsp

Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

Cloves - 2

Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp

Fry all the above ingredients in half a teaspoon of oil until light brown.  Powder them.

Method:

1.  Pressure cook peas and chopped vegetables in just enough water until 3/4th cooked.  I used brinjals, cabbage, drumstick, and carrots.  The original recipe calls for just potatoes instead.  Use vegetables of your choice.

2.   Wash and pressure cook dhal with rice in 6 cups of water for 10 minutes in medium flame until soft.

3.   Soak tamarind and extract thick juice from it.

4.  Heat oil in a kadai and fry the peeled onions for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the tamarind extract and bring to boil.  Cook until the raw flavor goes from it.

5.  Add salt, asafoetida, cooked peas and vegetables, and the powdered spices.

6.  Pour this to the cooked rice mixture as soon as it is removed from the pressure cooker.  Mix well to incorporate them all together.

7.  Heat ghee, fry the cashewnuts and garnish.  Add curry leaves and chopped coriander leaves if desired.

8.  Serve hot with chips or pappad or fried vadams or onion raitha.

Notes:

I used a big onion sliced lengthwise and fried until golden and crisp in hot oil.  I used these fried onions to garnish the bisibele bhath.  They gave a real flavor to the dish.

If desired, add a teaspoon of idli chilli powder to increase the spiciness of the rice.  This is purely optional.

Mullu Murukku

Source:

Mrs. Saraswathi Raj

Ingredients:

Roasted Rice Flour/Idiyappam Flour - 4 cups

Gram Flour - 2 cups

Roasted gram (pottukadalai) flour - 1/2 cup

Moong Dhal (payaru paruppu) flour - 1/2 cup

Salt - 2 to 3 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 3 to 4 tsp

Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Omam - 1 tsp (optional)

Butter - Lemon sized ball

Water - As needed

Oil - To deep fry


Procedure: 

1.  Mix all the flours together well.

2.  Add salt, red chilli powder, asafoetida, cumin seeds (jeeragam) and/or omam.  Mix well together so that all the ingredients are uniformly mixed all over.  Adjust salt and chilli powder according to your taste.

3.   Add butter to this mixed powder mixture and mix well with your fingertips all throughout so that a crumbly texture is formed uniformly.   You can around 50 to 60 gm of butter for this quantity.  Adding too much of butter will distort the consistency of the murukku, so beware.  Alternatively, you can heat up 1/2 cup of oil and add to the flour mix instead of butter (if you do not have butter or do not want to use it) and mix it up uniformly.

4.  Divide this flour mixture into 3 to 4 parts and keep aside.

5.  Take one part of the powder mixture and add water as needed by sprinkling little by little at a time to make a soft dough.  Make into medium sized balls for easy handling.

6.  Heat oil in a medium sized deep frying pan.  Drop a small ball of the dough to check if the oil is hot enough to fry the murukkus.  If the dough rises to the top immediately with a sizzle, the oil is ready for frying.

7.  Use your murukku mould fit with the star nozzle and greased with little oil on the inside.  Fill with 2-3 balls of the dough until 3/4th full and press the mould directly on hot oil (simmer the flame) spreading all over the kadai.  Deep fry till golden brown in color and the sizzling sound stops.  (Do not over fry, else it will get burnt.)  Repeat the same for the rest of the portions of the mixture.

8.  Drain in a tissue paper.

9.  Cool and store in an airtight container.

This recipe is one my mother-in-law taught us and her murukkus are so crispy and oil-free on touch.  She is a versatile cook and follows the traditional recipes that are tasty and healthy too.

Notes:

To make roasted Rice Flour - Wash and soak raw rice in water for about 1 hour.  Strain water and spread in on a cloth and allow to dry.  Do not allow to dry completely.  When it is half dry, machine it to a fine flour.  This step can be made at home by powdering the semi-dry rice in a mixer grinder and sifting it.  When the flour is still wet, roast the rice flour little at a time (say about a cup or 2) until the moisture is completely removed and the flour is dry.  Try drawing lines with this flour.  If you could draw the lines without a break, the roasted rice flour is ready.

Roasted Gram (Pottukadalai) Flour -  Powder the necessary quantity of roasted gram in a mixer grinder and sieve.  You can sun dry or roast for a while in a kadai to make the pottukadalai crispier and making powdering easier.

Moong Dhal (Payaru paruppu) Flour - Dry fry the moong dhal in a kadai till it slightly changes color.  Cool and powder in a mixer grinder.  Then sieve and use.

Ghee Rice

Source:

Mrs. Bagyalakshmi Anandam


Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Carrot - 1 (finely chopped)

Fresh Green Peas - 1/4 cup

Ghee - 2 to 3 tbsp

Salt - 1 tsp or to taste

Cardamom - 2

Cinnamon Sticks - 2


Method:

1.  Wash and soak rice in 2 cups of water for about 10 to 15 minutes.  Then, drain the rice and save the soaked water.  Keep aside.

2.  In a pressure pan, heat 1 tbsp ghee.  Add cardamom (whole) and cinnamon sticks and saute.

3.  Add the drained rice and fry till light golden.

4.  Add the soaked water (used for soaking the rice) and salt, chopped carrots, and fresh green peas.  Close lid of the pan.  Put on the weight when steam comes out and pressure cook for 5 minutes on low medium flame.

5.  When the pressure is completely released, open the lid and add the rest of the ghee and mix until all the ingredients are uniformly spread over.

6.  Serve hot with mixed vegetable gravy.

Notes:

Seeraga samba/Jeerakasala rice (biriyani rice) or the regular rice can also be used instead of basmati rice.  Adjust water accordingly.

Channa/Kondai Kadalai/Chickpea Kuzhambu

Source:

Mrs. Ranganayaki


Serves: 2


Ingredients:

Chickpea/Channa/Kondai Kadalai - 1/8 cup (heaped)

Thuar Dal - 1/8 cup (leveled)

Tamarind - 1 Marble sized ball (5 gm)

Sambhar Powder - 2 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Urad Dal - 1/4 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - Few

To Garnish:

Coriander Leaves (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp


Method:

1.  Wash and soak channa overnight for a minimum of 6 hours.

2.  Pressure cook channa and thuar dhal with enough water until 3 to 4 whistles.

3.  Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup water and take extract.

4.  In a kadai, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida (hing).

5.  Then pour the tamarind extract into the kadai and bring to boil.  Add salt and sambhar powder and boil for a minute.

6.  Add the cooked channa and thuar dhal and bring to boil adding the water used to boil channa and the dhal.  When the kuzhambu becomes thick and all ingredients are well combined, switch off the flame and transfer to a serving dish.  Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

This kuzhambu goes well with cooked rice, dosa, or idlis.

Beetroot Poriyal/Koora

Source:

Mrs. Vanaja Subramanian, Aval Vikatan (30 Poriyal Varieties)


Ingredients:

Beetroot - 1/4 kg

Salt - To taste

Grind Together:

Red Chillies - 2

Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp

Sombu (Saunf) - 1/4 tsp

Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad Dal - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - Few

Coriander Leaves - 1 sprig

Oil - 1 tbsp


Method:

1.  Chop beetroots and pressure cook.

2.  Grind together coarsely the red chillies, grated coconut, and sombu.

3.  In a kadai, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.  Add the chopped and cooked carrots and stir well.  Add salt and coarsely ground paste and mix well.  Finally, garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

It is a best and healthy accompaniment in a lunch menu to be served with steamed rice.

Carrot Kara Kuzhambu

Source:

Mrs. Santhi Vijayakrishnan, Aval Vikatan (30 Carrot Varieties)


Ingredients:

Carrots - 2 medium sized (chopped)

Tamarind - Lime sized ball

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp

Salt - 1 tsp or to taste

To fry and grind:

Thuar Dhal - 1 tsp

Bengal Gram Dhal - 1 tsp

Coriander Seeds - 2 tsp

Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp

Red Chillies - 6

For Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp

Curry Leaves - Few

Gingelly Oil - 1 tbsp


Method:

1.  In a hot kadai, dry fry the dhals, coriander seeds, fenugreek, asafoetida, and red chillies as given in the fry and grind list.  To this, add 1 tbsp of freshly grated coconut and grind to a smooth paste adding enough water.

2.  Soak tamarind in 1-1/2 cups water and make an extract.

3.  Heat kadai, add 1 tbsp of gingelly oil and add the seasoning ingredients.  Add chopped carrots and stir well.  Pour the tamarind extract and bring to boil.  Add turmeric powder and salt.  Allow to boil until the carrots are cooked.  Mix in the ground paste and allow to boil until a thick gravy is formed.  Serve hot with rice or dosas.