NASI GORENG RECIPE/INDONESIAN FRIED RICE

Nasi goreng or Indonesian fried rice recipe is a popular rice dish in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.It was in my try list for long time.I took this recipe from a magazine.I had already tried chinese style”Chilli garlic fried rice”which is a hit recipe in my blog.So i confidently tried this recipe too.This is a very simplified recipe and may not be the authentic one.I compared this recipe with some of the vegetarian nasi goreng recipes on net,modified it and prepared for sunday lunch along with tomato soup.We had a nice international lunch menu  at home. I used shallow fried tofu and spring onions as per the magazine recipe.For variations and make it more healthy,u can also add thinly sliced vegetables.Do try this recipe with ur variations this weekend.Have a happy meal.
It is often served with various sides like fresh vegetables such as lettuce, sliced cucumber, and sliced tomatoes. But i served it with plain tomato sauce.It tasted simply yummy !

Nasi goreng recipe

Nasi goreng/Fried rice recipe

Cuisine: International

Category: Lunch

Serves: Serves2-3

Prep time: 20 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 35 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To pressure cook Basmati rice - 1/2 cup Water-3/4cup To grind Red chillies - 8 nos (I used kashmiri red chilli to get a nice color) Garlic cloves – 6 nos Small onions/Shallots - 3 nos To Shallow fry Tofu - 50 gms(cut into small cubes) To saute Gingely oil - 3 tbsp Small onions/Big onion - 10 nos/1 no(finely chopped)  Garlic cloves - 5 nos Soya sauce – 1/2 tsp Black pepper powder – 1/2 tsp Salt- as needed Spring onions – 2 tbsp (to garnish)

METHOD

Wash and soak the basmati rice for 30 minutes.Pressure cook it adding 3/4 cup of water and a drop of oil.Remove and spread in a plate.Rice should cool completely and should be fluffy. Grind all the ingredients to make a smooth paste. Chop the onions and garlic cloves finely.Cube cut tofu into small pieces and shallow fry in 2 tbsp of oil. Remove in a tissue and set aside. In a kadai,heat gingely oil and saute the onions,garlic cloves and the ground paste.Saute till the raw smell leaves completely. Now add the cooked rice,soya sauce and mix well.Finally add the shallow fried tofu pieces and toss well.Garnish with spring onions and serve hot ! NOTE U can use the combination of brown rice and regular rice to get the reddish brown colored rice. U can replace tofu by mixed vegetables.The original recipe called for deep frying tofu.But i shallow fried it.As i had cut the tofu into big pieces,i felt the masalas din’t infuse well inside tofu.So i feel , making small pieces would help.

I am happy to send this post to Nayna kanbar's flavors of the world event.

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Basmati Rice Spiked with Chickpea Flour Dumplings

As has been the case for many years, when I am looking for inspiration I often turn to 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. All of the essentials of Indian cooking are covered in this book and there are some wonderful fusion-stye dishes included too, as Mr. Iyer grew up in India but has lived in the US for over 20 years — you get the best of both worlds. It truly is a masterpiece and well suited for both those who are new to Indian cuisine and experienced cooks alike. The book is not vegetarian, but there are loads of recipes for vegetarians and vegans.

My latest exploration was this rice dish with chickpea flour dumplings. It's perfectly balanced and you only need to serve up a vegetable dish for a simple meal that is nonetheless packed full of flavor. Only half of the dumplings are needed for the rice, but it's worth making the whole batch because they are relatively easy to make and they freeze well. I found they also made for a nice spicy snack, in addition to adding flair and texture to the rice, so the remainder never did make it into the freezer.

Basmati Rice Spiked with Chickpea Flour Dumplings

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from 660 Curries Cuisine: Indian Published on January 29, 2013 Simple fragrant yellow rice cooked with moist and spicy chickpea flour dumplings Print this recipe Dumplings: 2 cups chickpea flour (besan), sifted 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated 2 to 3 fresh chilies, seeded and finely chopped 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon cayenne 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon garam masala 1/4 to 1/3 cup water 2 to 3 teaspoons sesame oil Rice: 1 cup basmati rice 2 tablespoons ghee or oil 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon asafetida 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon garam masala 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 cups water 1/2 cup boiling water small handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped, for garnish Instructions: Begin by making the dumplings. In a medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour, ginger, chilies, coriander, cumin, cayenne, garam masala and salt. Pour in 1/4 cup of water and form it into a ball with your hands. Add more water if necessary. Add 2 teaspoons or more of sesame oil to the dough and knead it until it is smooth. On a lightly floured board, shape the dough into a firm 12-inch log. Cut into 4 pieces. Fill a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan halfway with water. Bring to a boil. Carefully add the chickpea flour pieces and lower the heat to medium. Simmer uncovered, gently stirring occasionally, until they turn light yellow and little bumps appear — about 45 to 60 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Empty the water from the saucepan and fill with cold water. Return the dumplings to the pan and remove after 5 seconds. Transfer back to the plate. Cut the dumplings into 1/2-inch thick nuggets and set aside. Thoroughly rinse the rice in cold water until the water is no longer cloudy. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with water. Let rest for 30 minutes and then drain. Let the rice air-dry in a strainer for 5 to 10 minutes. Heat the ghee or oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds turn grey and begin to splutter and pop, add the drained rice, cumin, cayenne, asafetida, turmeric, garam masala and salt. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, undisturbed, until the water has evaporated from the surface — about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the boiling water to the pan and half of the dumplings, stir quickly, and reduce the heat to very low. Cover and cook for another 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve garnished with cilantro. Refrigerate or freeze the remaining dumplings. Makes 6 servings

I'm sharing this with Deena who hosts a monthly Fabulous Fusion Food Challenge. I am also submitting this to Ricki's Wellness Weekend.

Other fancied up rice creations from Lisa's Kitchen:
Tomato, Olive and Avocado Rice
Yellow Rice with Toasted Cashews
Coconut Rice

On the top of the reading stack: The Fall by Albert Camus

Audio Accompaniment: Marsen Jules

NEER URUNDAI/UPPU URUNDAI-STEAMED RICE BALLS

Neer urundai aka uppu urundai is my mil’s traditional breakfast/dinner recipes.We usually prepare this neer urundai whenever Sendhil needs easy to digest dinner recipes.U can make this by reserving some rice batter while u make idli,dosa batter.In this recipe,we cook rice balls in water and we drink that water adding jaggery or salt.My mil says this kanji/porridge is very good for stomach.Its procedure is very similar to ammini kozhukattai but no need to roll it very small . Over to the recipe,

Neer urundai/Steamed rice balls

Neer urundai - Our traditional dinner recipe. Tastes yummy and easy to digest too.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Dinner recipes

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 2 hrs

Cook time: 40 min

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

To soak and grind Boiled rice/Idli rice –1.5 cups Salt - as needed To add in the batter Grated coconut - 1/2 cup To make kanji Grated jaggery or salt - as needed to taste FOR PEPPER BALLS Pepper corns- 1.5 tsp Jeera/Cumin – 1 tsp

METHOD

Wash and soak the rice for 2 hours.Grind it to a smooth,thick batter.Do not add more water while grinding.After removing the batter ,add grated coconut and mix well. Make balls of small gooseberry size.Spread them in the newspaper.Excess water gets absorbed by the paper. Now boil 3-4 cups of water.When the water comes to roll boil,add the balls altogether.Balls will get separated after they cook. Let it cook for 5-8 minutes.Do not cover the pan.To test whether the balls are cooked,take one ball with a slotted ladle and drop it in a plate.It will not stick to the plate instead it bounces.If the balls are not cooked,it will sit in the plate instead of bouncing. Remove all the balls and set aside.Coarsely powder the pepper and jeera. For tempering,heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan and add the powdered pepper,jeera seeds.Saute for a minute.Add the balls to the pan.Mix well till all the balls are coated.Remove and serve hot immediately. To make kanji – Add either jaggery or salt to the water in which the balls were cooked.It would be slightly thicker and white in color.Add the required jaggery and boil for sometime .Add cardamom powder for sweet kanji. For salt kanji,add salt and buttermilk if needed.Drink immediately. NOTE If u feel,u have used excess water for grinding,put the batter in a hot kadai and mix till all the excess water is absorbed and it turns like a thick dough.By doing this,balls will also be much softer.This step is completely optional.We use it only for troubleshooting.

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Baked Falafel with Lemon Tahini Sauce

Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern street food that has become popular in the West too. They are made with chickpeas, onion, garlic and spices and usually served with sauces such as hot sauce or tahini-based sauces, pickles and vegetables. They are commonly stuffed into or wrapped in pita breads to make a sandwich.

I've long been a fan of falafel and have made them before at home on a few occasions, but not since I started this chronicle of my cooking adventures. In the past, I have deep fried them, but frying is messy and oily. An alternative solution is to bake them, as I have done here. My recipe is also not traditional as usually the chickpeas aren't cooked but instead are soaked for at least 12 hours and then ground up and formed into patties or balls before frying.

I was more than satisfied with the results. While they were not as crispy as the fried version, I dare say they were even better and reminded me very much of one of favorite recipes for Indian baked koftas.

I found the sauce was an essential accompaniment for a more authentic falafel taste experience. That said, to make the meal suitable for vegans, omit the yogurt sauce and serve with other accompaniments and/or come up with your own tahini sauce.

Notes: The falafel I made were roughly 1 1/2 inches in diameter. You can make them smaller if you want a greater number. I ended up with about 12 and found two served in a pita pocket with tomato, chopped dill pickle and smothered with sauce made for a satisfying meal. You might want to consider serving them with a side salad as well.

If you make them ahead of time, you can wrap them in foil and reheat them in a preheated 325° oven until warmed throughout.

Baked Falafel with Lemon Tahini Sauce

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Middle Eastern Published on January 27, 2014 Soft, spicy and savory baked chickpea falafels served with a simple tangy lemon, tahini and yogurt sauce Print this recipe Falafel: 1 cup dried chickpeas (3 cups cooked or 2 14 oz cans) 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped 1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste 1 medium onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 to 2 fresh red or green chilies, seeded and finely chopped 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 to 4 tablespoons chickpea flour or other flour Sauce: 1 1/4 cups plain yogurt 1/4 cup tahini juice from 1 large lemon (3 tablespoons) sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste Instructions: Rinse the chickpeas and soak for 8 hours or overnight in several inches of water. Drain and rinse, then transfer to a medium-large saucepan and cover with several inches of fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Drain and transfer to a food processor. Add the cilantro, parsley, cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne and salt and pulse until blended but not puréed. If necessary, add a bit of sesame oil to get the process going. Add the onion, garlic, chilies and baking powder along with a few tablespoons of flour, and pulse until a dough forms that is not too sticky. Add more flour as necessary if the mixture is too moist. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with oil. Preheat an oven to 375°. Shape the mixture into small patties, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on each side until golden-brown on both sides. To make the sauce, whisk together the yogurt, tahini, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Makes 12 falafels or 4 to 6 servings

Other little bites of bliss you are sure to enjoy from Lisa's Kitchen:
Chickpea Potato Koftas with Ricotta
Vegetarian Samosa Cake with Tamarind Chutney
Brown Rice Quinoa Cakes with Parmesan
Coleslaw Bites with Jalapeno Dip

On the top of the reading stack: The Fall by Albert Camus

Audio Accompaniment: Beautyfear by Marsen Jules

PURPLE CABBAGE /RED CABBAGE PORIYAL RECIPE

Is purple cabbage and red cabbage are the same ? I was thinking both are different. But after i googled i found some results saying both are same in nutrients, only colors are different.Usually i make poriyal always with white cabbage.This is the first time i bought purple cabbage and tried a poriyal recipe for rice.When i asked my friends to suggest me some recipes with it,all of them commonly said this cabbage tastes good only for salad.So i reserved half of it for salad and with a big question mark in my mind,i attempted this poriyal recipe with the remaining half.To my surprise,may be because of the masala i used ,it turned out super tasty and we loved it to the core.Sendhil hates cabbage(especially its smell) like anything.But he commented this cabbage poriyal is much tastier than the usual one.Even Raksha asked for more.Overall this was a hit recipe in my family..Friends,do try this recipe.I am sure u’ll also love it like us.

PURPLE CABBAGE PORIYAL

Purple/Red cabbage poriyal recipe - A very tasty accompaniment for rice

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Purple cabbage  OR Red cabbage - 2.5 cups Fresh peas – 2 tbsp Salt & water - as needed To grind Grated coconut - 3 tbsp Dhania/Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp Jeera/cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp Red chillies – 2 nos Small onion – 2 nos To temper Cooking oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Channa dal - 1 tsp (optional) Curry leaves - few Big onion - 1 no(finely chopped) Green chilli – 1 no(slit)

METHOD

Grate cabbage or slice it thinly.Chop the big onions finely.Slit green chilli and set aside. In a kadai,heat oil and temper all the ingredients given above in the same order. After they splutter,add the  big onions,green chilli and curry leaves . After onions turn transparent,add cabbage and fresh peas.Add salt and saute for few minutes in medium flame.After they shrink,sprinkle some water,stir well.Close the kadai with a lid and cook for sometime.Stir in whenever required.Take care cabbage should not be burnt. In the mean time,grind the ingredients given under”to grind” without adding water.After 10 minutes,cabbage would be cooked well and soft. Add this ground ingredients to the cooked cabbage and stir well for few minutes till u get a nice aroma. Remove and serve.

NOTE

• U can use red cabbage in place of purple cabbage.
• I used fresh peas just to make it colorful.Its completely optional to use.
• U can also skip onions while sauting.

Enjoy this poriyal with sambar and rice.It tastes yummy !

Technorati Tags: Purple cabbage recipes,Red cabbage recipes,Cabbage poriyal recipe,Poriyal recipes,Purple cabbage indian recipes,purple cabbage poriyal

Idli Recipe - How To Make Soft Idli - Homemade Idli Dosa Batter Recipe

Recipe updated with full cooking video 

I have already posted homemade idli,dosa batter using grinder,mixie and idli rava.U can think why am i posting another recipe now.This is my recent recipe for making soft idlis and crispy dosas if  the quality of rice and dal is bad.One of my readers asked me to post  my recent idli batter recipe for low quality dal.Also i have planned to post some dosa varieties in near future.So i wanted to have this detailed post in my blog.In this post i would like to share some tips and tricks which i did not mention in my previous posts.As per my reader’s request,i hope these tips would be useful for beginners and newly wedded girls.This batter yields soft idlis as well as super crispy dosas.Without further delay,let me move on to the recipe..

If u are in Abroad/Cold countries and looking for Idli batter fermentation tips,Check out this post

Check out the full cooking video below ( It includes grinding and draining the batter)

Soft idli recipe

How to make soft idli,crispy dosa using home made idli,dosa batter

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Breakfast

Serves: for 3 days

Prep time: 2 hrs + 12hrs

Cook time: 10 Min

Total time: 2hrs 10 Min

INGREDIENTS

To soak in water Idli rice/Salem rice - 4 cups White round urad dal - 3/4 cup(use 1 cup for low quality dal & 1/2 cup for super quality dal) Methi seeds - 1 tsp Salt - as needed Water - around 6 cups

METHOD

Wash the rice twice by rinsing well with ur hands well.During the first wash, the water color will be slightly yellow.For second wash,it will be white.Color of the rice would become super white.Now soak the rice in enough water for minimum 2 hours. Wash once and soak the urad dal and methi seeds together for minimum 2 hours because methi seeds take 2 hours to soak well.. After 2 hours,grind the urad dal,methi first adding 1/2 cup of water initially.The dal will grind and the quantity of batter would rise and becomes fluffy.Add 1/4 cup of water for every 5 minutes.Please do not add all the water in the beginning.Stand nearby for the first 10 minutes and wipe the sides of the grinder.It take nearly 20-25 minutes taking 2 to 2.25 cups of water. Remove the urad dal batter and keep in a wide vessel. Choose a big vessel such that there is  enough room for the batter to rise well.Next add the rice while the grinder is running.Add 1 cup of  water immediately to avoid the jamming. Add 1/2 cup of water for every 10 minutes.Add 1 handful of  crystal salt(kallu uppu) while it runs.Totally rice takes 25-30 minutes in table top grinder to grind.It consumes nearly 2.5 cups of water.It varies as per the quality of rice. If the quality of rice and dal is bad,add little more water while grinding.No problem even if the batter becomes slightly watery.The next day, after fermentation,it would become thick. Remove the rice and mix with urad dal batter.Mix well using  your hands.It is the most important point for fermentation.Close the vessel tightly with a lid and keep in a warm place(ie near fridge or gas stove or inside microwave with lights on in cold countries).Leave for a minimum of 12 hours.I grind the batter in the early evening around 4 pm and make idlis the next day around 7 am. The next day,batter would have raised very well (sometimes doubled).U could see minute pores in the batter.Do not mix the batter.Remove a ladle ful of batter  from one corner and pour in idli mould.Steam for 10 minutes.

TIPS & TRICKS

I have given these tips learning from my mom,mil and from my own experience.

Some of the frequently asked questions regarding idli,dosa batter Why idlis look yellow in color? The reasons might be due to improper washing of rice and dal.Rinse the rice well while washing.Discard the water and use fresh water for soaking.Adding more methi seeds may also give yellow idlis.Normally my mom doesn’t add methi seeds for idli,dosa batter.My mom’s idli always look super white. If the grinder or mixie u used to grind is too hot,batter may become slightly yellow.To avoid this,switch off  the grinder for sometime or add ice cold water to grind the rice.      2.  Tips for batter fermentation Always use ur hands for mixing urad dal and rice batter.Spread ur fingers and beat the batter well.For more tips,please refer my mixie idli post.If u are in Abroad/Cold countries and looking for Idli batter fermentation tips,Check out this post .      3. Reasons for hard idli,how to avoid? The most important reason for hard idlis is the due to insufficient amount of urad dal and inadequate water used for grinding.If u find ur idlis are hard,add more the next time and use more water while grinding the batter. Even if u add water while mixing the batter,it won’t work.So add enough water while grinding itself. The second reason might be,batter needs more fermentation.Sometimes if u make idlis in the morning,it may come out hard.With the same batter,if u make idlis for dinner,it will come out soft.If it happens so,next time give more time for fermentation.     4. Why dosas look dry ? I faced this problem for the past few months and rectified it.So i can give u some tips based on my own experience.Usually  i make idlis for two days and for the third day i use the same batter for making dosa by diluting it slightly. In that case,use few tbsps of water at a time.Batter should not be too thick or too thin.Consistency should be very important to avoid dry dosas. Insufficient amount of urad dal may also result in dry dosas.So use 4:1 rice n dal ratio to get a golden brown colored crispy dosas. If the dosa pan is not in correct temperature,dosas may turn dry.Also drizzle a tsp of oil al over the dosas especially in the concentric circles not only in corners. The last possible reason might be the quality of rice.Add  1/2 cup – 1 cup more water while grinding if the quality of rice is bad.Even then if u feel,it is not good,its better change the rice. For me,the problem was with the rice.I made all the above changes and still i found the dosas were dry.Finally i changed the rice.Though it is the same boiled rice/salem rice,there are different qualities which i couldn’t guess.My MIL told me to change the rice and go for a trial.Now my dosas come out very well.So if u are buying a rice for the first time,buy 1 kg , go for a trial and then buy in large quantities.     5. How to make roast dosa? For roast dosa,take the required idli batter in a bowl.Add few tbsp of water,Mix well.Heat the dosa pan,sprinkle few drops of water to check the temperature of the pan.Take a ladleful of batter and spread it as thin as possible.Keep the flame high.Add a tsp of oil/ghee all over the dosa.The oil will sizzle.After a minute, dosa turns golden brown,cooked and corners will rise.The upper portion should be cooked by this time if u spread the batter very thinly.Else flip the dosa, reduce the flame to low,keep it for few seconds and remove the dosa.  My mom makes roast dosa very well.She makes it by spreading the batter very thin,add a tsp of ghee and cover the pan with a lid.After few seconds,she removes the dosa.She don’t flip it.    6.General tips Use more dal based on trail anr error.U can also use 1/4 cup of aval for more softness.Skip methi seeds if u don't like that flavor.

With one batter,we can make so many yummy breakfast recipes.Its cool rite ..

In the above picture,u can see soft idlis,crispy dosa,Paniyaram using idli,dosa batter,Idli upma and mini idli with coconut chutney,tiffin sambar,idli podi.
Please check these links for my alternate methods of  idli batter recipes  if u are interested

• Idli,dosa batter using mixie
• Idli,dosa batter using idli rava –  easy version.

Technorati Tags: Idli recipe,How to make soft idlis,homemade idli batter,tips for soft idli,crispy dosa,breakfast recipes,southindian breakfast recipes