Bitter Gourd Biryani Recipe-Pavakkai Sadam-Sunday Lunch Recipes-7

Bitter gourd biryani/Pavakkai masala rice -Yeah,u heard it right.Its an easy,yummy biryani recipe using bitter gourd.If you love bitter gourd like me,u must try this rice.It tastes super flavorful with mild bitter taste.When i was looking for this week’s Sunday Biryani Recipes,my MIL suggested me to try this biryani by reading this recipe from a Tamil Magazine.Initially i was hesitant to try this worrying about its bitter taste but she also told suggested me a method to remove its bitterness.So i tried it confidently & the result was unbelievably great with a very mild bitter taste only in pavakkai pieces and not in rice at all.Raksha took two servings of this rice without knowing it had pavakkai.U can make it very easily in busy morning hours as it has no grinding job and pack it for your lunch box too.But soak the bitter gourd pieces in curd+salt mixture and refrigerate it overnight so that u can prepare this biryani instantly in the morning.You can also use vinegar as suggested in the original recipe.But squeeze n rinse the bg thoroughly to remove vinegar smell.Bachelors & working women can try this biryani if u love bitter gourd recipes.Try n share your feedack with me.Lets see how to make this yummy bitter gourd biryani.

Bitter gourd biryani recipe

Bitter gourd biryani/Pavakkai Masala rice- Easy n delicious rice variety

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Lunch

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 30 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 45 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Basmati rice - 1 cup Milk - 1 cup Water - 0.75 cups Salt - as needed Oil - 1 drop To soak for 30 minutes ( helps to remove bitterness) Bittergourd – 1 no ( medium size) Sour curd – 1/2 cup Salt – little(u can use vinegar in place of curd) To saute Cooking oil - 1.5 tbsp Cinnamon - 1 inch piece Cloves - 3nos Biryani leaf- 1 no Kalpasi/Black stone flower - 1 no Big onion - 1 no ( sliced) Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp ( use more for extra spicy taste) Mint & coriander leaves - a fistful Ginger & Garlic paste - 1/2 tbsp ( Grind 2 inch ginger & 7 cloves garlic) Ghee - 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice – 2 tsp

METHOD

Wash and slice the bitter gourd pieces thinly.Remove the seeds if any OR If u like the crunchy taste of seeds,retain it.Take half cup of sour curd.Add some salt,mix well and soak bittergourd for 30 minutes.Similarly wash and soak the basmati rice in water for minimum 30 minutes.Chop the onions,coriander & mint leaves and set aside. After 30 minutes,squeeze the bitter gourd pieces very well using your hands and discard the curd mixture.Take the bitter gourd pieces alone in a plate. Heat oil in a pressure cooker base and put the cinnamon,cloves,biryani leaf,kalpasi. Add onions and saute for a minute and then add the ginger,garlic paste. Mix well for few seconds and add the mint+coriander leaves.Mix it.Now add the turmeric powder & red chilli powder,salt.Lastly add the squeezed bitter gourd pieces and saute well for a minute till it shrinks a bit.Add little more oil if needed. Now add the soaked basmati rice without water.Add 1 cup of milk and 0.75 cups of water.Add 1/2 tbsp of ghee & 2 tsp of lemon juice in water.Check for salt & spiciness.Pressure cook in low flame till one whistle..It takes 8-10 minutes.Remove & fluff with a fork after the steam is released.Serve it hot with onion raita. Enjoy !

Note

Add more chilli powder if u want extra spicy taste.The quantity i have mentioned here would be just right. U can also add 1/2 tsp of biryani masala powder or garam masala powder for more spicy flavor. I have used milk + Water.U can also use coconut milk for more richness. Do not skip mint & coriander leaves as they lend a spl fragrance. I din’t use biryani leaf here I used freshly ground ginger,garlic paste.U can use store bought too. Soak basmati rice for minimum 30 minutes to get lengthy rice after cooking.

Try this unique and healthy bitter gourd biryani.It tastes yum with simple onion raita !

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Easy Mixed Vegetable Sambar Recipe/Kadamba Sambar-Bachelors Recipes

I am planning to share a collection of recipes for Indian bachelors.But before that, i wanted to share some easy one pot sambar,rasam & more kuzhambu recipes.So I am posting this easy and quick mixed vegetable sambar recipe for bachelors,spinsters,working women and for husbands who are alone in abroad leaving your family in India  .Not only for these people but also for housewives who want to finish cooking quickly during busy morning hours. Generally in Tamil nadu, Iyers & Iyengars make Kadamba sambar by adding freshly ground masala powder.They call this as Arachuvitta sambar. But this is a quicker version using sambar powder. This recipe can be done under 15 minutes using a pressure cooker and a small container. Some people have the habit of cooking & storing the dal for a week in refrigerator.For those people,making this sambar is even more easy.I adapted this recipe from Vahchef’s Vahrehvah.com.I was very happy with the outcome and i had a satisfaction of eating many vegetables in one gravy.My daughter Raksha had this sambar along with vegetables without complaining anything as the veggies were cooked really soft n mushy.So this sambar is a good choice for making our kids to eat vegetables.I have used carrot,beans,brinjal & Lady’s finger along with onions.U can use a combination of Radish or drum stick,Chayote/chow chow,potato and knol knol too.The taste & flavor of this sambar may slightly vary as per the vegetables u add but the procedure remains the same.Try this quick sambar recipe for rice and pack it for your lunch box.It tastes yum !Lets see how to make this easy sambar recipe for rice.

Check out my easy onion sambar & 30 kuzhambu recipes if interested..

Mixed Vegetable Sambar Recipe

Mixed vegetable sambar recipe for rice- Easy n quick version !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Lunch

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Toor dal - 1/3 cup Mixed vegetables - 1 cup ( Carrot 1 small,beans-5nos,Brinjal-2 nos,Lady's finger-5 nos) Tamarind - Small lemon size ( 2 tbsp tamarind paste) Big onion or small onions - 1 no / 10 nos ( cubed) Crushed garlic - 2 small ( optional) Ripe tomato - 1 no Sambar powder- 1 tsp Jaggery – 1/4 tsp ( Don’t add it if u use carrot) Red chilli powder- 3/4 tsp Dhania powder- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Salt & water - as needed To temper Cooking oil-1 tbsp Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp Red chillies - 2 nos Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry leaves - few Hing - 2 pinches Coriander leaves - to garnish Ghee-1 tbsp

METHOD

Wash and soak the toor dal in 2 cups of hot water,a pinch of turmeric powder and a drop of oil till use.Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water.Wash and chop the vegetables into one inch pieces and keep them immersed in water.Cube cut onions if using big onions or just peel the sambar onions and use as whole ones. Heat oil in a pressure cooker base and splutter mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,cumin seeds & curry leaves.Add the red chilli powder,dhania powder & turmeric powder.Saute quickly for a second in medium flame. Add all the vegetables,onions,tomato pieces & crushed garlic if  using.Saute for a minute till lady’s finger shrinks a bit. If u are adding drumstick,do not cook with other vegetables.It will become mushy.So cook separately and add it. Add some raw curry leaves.Now add 1 to 1.5 cups of tamarind extract, jaggery and sambar powder. Add hing and the required salt.Add a tsp of ghee. Keep the flame very low and allow it to boil slowly. In the mean time,transfer the soaked toor dal into a small closed box along with soaked water.Make sure the size of box is double the quantity of dal else dal will spill & won’t cook properly.Keep it inside the cooker and close the lid.Increase the flame to high and as soon as the steam comes,put the weight valve and keep the flame very low.Allow it to cook in very low flame till one whistle.It takes approx. 5 minutes if using small cooker & 8 minutes for bigger one. Switch off the flame after one whistle and let the steam goes off completely.Now open the cooker and take out the box.Open and mash the dal well. Add the dal to the sambar and allow it to boil.Check for taste and add more salt and sambar powder if needed.Let the sambar roll boil in medium flame for 2 minutes.Lastly add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well.Add 2 tsp of ghee and close it with a lid till u serve.It tastes yum with hot rice and papad.Enjoy !

Note

If u are using drumstick,do not cook with other vegetables.It will become mushy.So cook separately and add it. Cooking the dal in the box inside the cooker makes the job easy,saves time & gas.If u don’t have a small container,u should pressure cook the dal till mushy,remove in a bowl and then make the sambar in the same cooker again.U can also cook the dal the previous day night and refrigerate it.The next morning,dilute it with little water and add to the cooked veggies.Boil and serve. Addition of vegetables is purely your choice.U can add either one or all the vegetables. Please don’t add jaggery if u are using carrot as carrot lends mild sweetness to the sambar. Use more chilli powder or sambar powder based on your spice level.

Mix this sambar in hot rice & enjoy eating with papad.It tastes divine!

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Very good recipes Tags: Bachelors recipes, Indian bachelors cooking ideas, easy sambar recipe, kadamba sambar recipe, easy mixed vegetable sambar, how to make mixed vegetable sambar recipe

Brinjal Fry Recipe/Eggplant Roast For Rice

Last week when i went to Reliance fresh to buy vegetables,i took a big sized brinjal/Kathirikai to try Baingan bharta recipe.But i couldn’t make it & i had completely forgotten about it.Yesterday i was running short of vegetables and all i had was this brinjal.As i had already tried ennai kathirikai poriyal ,Bengali begun bhaja and some more curries,i wanted to try out something new.I googled for brinjal chops and i found this brinjal fry recipe in Nalini’s blog which was similar to my expectation.Basically i love the flavor of fennel seeds in masala.So i tried this recipe by making it little more spicy for myself as I am the only person who eats brinjal in my house.I had it with mysore rasam.It was a delectable combo and i took two servings of it.After a long time,i made a spicy lunch menu and ate it happily.If u are a brinjal & fennel seeds lover,then this recipe is for u.Tomorrow I will share mysore rasam recipe.Friends,try this spicy brinjal fry for Rasam or More kuzhambu.It takes very less time to prepare in busy mornings and u can pack it for your lunch box as well.I am sure your friends will ask the recipe.
Check out my Ennai Kathirikai poriyal,Begun Bhaja,Brinjal Podi curry,Kathirikai poriyal recipes too.

Brinjal fry/Eggplant roast recipe

Spicy,hot eggplant fry/Kathirikai roast recipe-An yummy side dish for rice

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Big brinjal - 3/4 no( Use 4 if medium size) Salt & water - as needed Cooking oil - 2 tbsp To grind Fennel seeds – 1.5 tsp Red chillies - 5 nos Garlic cloves-5 nos Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp Sambar powder - 1 tsp Salt – as needed To temper Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp Urad dal – 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds /Jeera – 1/4 tsp Curry leaves – few Lemon juice – few drops Coriander leaves – to garnish

METHOD

Take all the ingredients given under “ to grind” in a mixie jar.First grind it to a powder.Then add the required water and grind it to a smooth paste.No problem if the mixture is slightly watery but it should be a smooth paste. Wash and chop the brinjals into medium thick round slices.Do not slice very thinly because they will mash it up while cooking.If u use normal purple brinjal,just slit them into 4 pieces.Immerse in water till use to prevent discoloration. Now heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard,urad dal,jeera and curry leaves.Add the brinjal and saute for few minutes.Add salt & ground masala paste.Mix well and coat the brinjals. Keep the flame medium and cover cook the brinjals for 4-5 minutes.Flip it once in the middle.Check whether they are cooked properly.Add some lemon juice.Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with sambar rice,rasam or simply with dal.Tastes yum! Enjoy !

Note

The brinjal should be cooked in masala paste & oil.No need to add water.If u feel the mixture is too dry,u can sprinkle little water to cook the brinjals. For proper cooking of brinjals,always keep the flame medium & cover it with a lid. Please reduce the quantity of sambar powder as per ur taste.The quantity i have mentioned here gives a spicy fry. Adding lemon juice helps to balance the spicy taste as well as helps to absorb the iron content of brinjal in the body.

Enjoy this hot n spicy brinjal masala fry with rice.Tastes gr8 !

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Gluten-Free Applesauce Raisin Muffins

I tend to eat small amounts throughout the day as opposed to large meals, so it's important for me to have quick solutions for breakfast and snacks. Muffins are always ideal to have on hand, especially when they are packed with protein and fiber like these cinnamon applesauce muffins with plump raisins. Eggless and made with chickpea flour, the muffins are suitable for those following gluten-free and vegan diets. Not that you have to be either vegan nor gluten-free to enjoy one or two. I could hardly wait for them to cool before I started to nibble. A little denser than muffins made with gluten flours, they are nonetheless soft and moist, with a bit of chewiness from the raisins and a slightly crisp exterior. Filling and satisfying if the urge to overindulge is resisted. My husband had two as part of his breakfast.

Gluten-Free Applesauce Raisin Muffins

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on February 17, 2015 Moist dense muffins packed with protein, fiber and a wholesome applesauce and cinnamon flavor Print this recipe Ingredients: 3/4 cup chickpea (besan) flour 6 tablespoons coconut flour 1 1/2 tablespoons corn or potato starch 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon sesame or hemp seeds (optional) 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/3 cup coconut or brown sugar 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup raisins Instructions: Grease 12 muffin cups. Preheat an oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, starch, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, sesame or hemp seeds if using, and salt until well combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flax seed, applesauce, coconut oil and vanilla until well blended. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the applesauce mixture and stir until just blended. Gently fold in the raisins. Evenly divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins turn golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack. Makes 12 muffins

More gluten-free muffins to try from Lisa's Kitchen:
Rice Muffins
Gingerbread Muffins
Quinoa Flour Muffins with Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese

Semiya Kesari Recipe/Vermicelli kesari

Vermicelli kesari aka semiya kesari is one of the easy n yummy Indian dessert recipes.Making a perfect semiya kesari was my dream.When i was a beginner in cooking kesari recipes,i have tried this many times but i end up making vermicelli halwa or half cooked hard,chewy kesari.Recently i applied my rava kesari technique and used more water to cook the vermicelli.It came out perfect this time ! I was so happy with the results and it tasted great.So thought of sharing this recipe with u all.But one thing which i felt bad is the color of this kesari.I have added more food color by mistake & my kesari resembled beetroot halwa.So please be careful while adding food color.And I have not used fine vermicelli here.I used the normal,thick roasted vermicelli( Bambino).So adjust the quantity of water based on the vermicelli.Its very to easy to make if u follow the steps carefully.Even beginners and bachelors can give a try.Ok,Lets see how to make vermicelli kesari/semiya kesari recipe !

Semiya kesari recipe

Semiya kesari recipe- Easy n yummy dessert recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Roasted vermicelli - 1/2 cup Water - 2.5 cups Red food color - 1 pinch Sugar - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp Cardamom - 2 seeds ( crushed) Ghee – 1.5 tbsp

METHOD

Heat water in a kadai and add 1 tsp ghee to it.When the water starts to roll boil,add the roasted vermicelli & food color. Mix well till all the water is absorbed by the vermicelli.Cover & cook for 10 minutes in medium flame.Mix once in the middle.Make sure the bottom is not burnt. Check whether the vermicelli is cooked properly.For this,take few strands of vermicelli and try to mash it with ur fingers.If it breaks & mashes,its cooked right.Now add the sugar and mix well.The mixture will become watery as soon as u add sugar.Mix well in high flame for a minute.Mixture will thicken slightly.Bubbles will appear all over the sides. When u mix it,u will find the kesari becoming non-sticky and start to leave the kadai.Add the remaining ghee,cardamom powder.Mix well & switch off the flame.Transfer the mixture to a plate when the mixture is watery.Do not wait for the kesari to leave the sides of pan completely.It will becomes chewy when it cools down.So remove the mixture when it is wet and slightly watery.It should fall into the plate like a ribbon.This kesari will set perfectly once it cools down to room temp.Serve once it becomes warm.If u want to serve really hot,mix it for few more seconds to drain the excess water.I guess nobody will eat it hot from the stove ;)).So its better to remove it when there is moisture in kesari. Two most important things u should notice while making this kesari is : Vermicelli should be cooked properly.Do not mix for long time till kesari leaves the sides of pan completely.As soon as u see the kesari thickens and start to leave the kadai,remove it from the stove.Mixture should be slightly watery and wet.

Note

I used 1:5 vermicelli and water ratio.If u use fine vermicelli, use 1:2 water. If u use fine vermicelli,add 3/4cup of sugar for 1 cup of vermicelli. Check whether the vermicelli is cooked properly before adding sugar because the kesari will turn hard and chewy. Semiya kesari takes less ghee than rava kesari.So use less. Remove the kesari when the mixture is slightly watery.It will set well as soon as it becomes warm.Do not mix till it leaves the sides of pan completely.

Try this yummy semiya kesari for ur guests.They would love it for sure

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How to ferment Idli batter in Winter in Cold Countries

Hi Friends,
Today’s post is a very basic post about fermentation of idli,dosa batter in winter season especially in cold countries like Canada,US etc.I have got few requests from my readers to post some tips for fermentation in cold countries and a video to make idlis.Very soon i will make a detailed video post on how to make soft idlis.My younger sister Radha is in Canada.As u all know,Canada is one of the coldest countries in the world.My sis always makes the best  & super soft idlis in spite of the cold weather.So i thought she is the best person to clear all my doubts.When i asked her to make a post,she happily accepted my request & helped me a lot by taking step by step pictures and mailed everything clearly.Thank u so much my dear.Luv u.I hope this post will help the people who is feeling bad & worried about making non-fermented,hard idlis.The tips i have shared here will solve the fermentation problems i feel.Friends,please mail me or leave a comment here if u have any tips to share.It will help everyone.Thanks for visiting this page.

My sister grinds the batter once in a week.The quantity she had mentioned below comes for 5 days.She makes idli for the first two days for both breakfast & dinner and dosa for 3 days.She uses Thanjore idli rice & plain packet of urad dal,not any particular brand.My sister’s friend Sukanya in US also follows the same method to make idlis.. One more tip from my friend Shalini : When she was in US for two years,she used to keep the batter vessel near room heater and she told the batter gets fermented like the same in India.Try this too. Ok,Here is the idli batter procedure along with the quantity of ingredients mailed by my sister. ldi batter procedure Soak 9 cups idli rice + 1 tsp methi seeds.Soak 2.5 cups of urad dal separately for 3 to 6 hrs. ( Half this quantity if you are doing for first time) After soaking,drain the water and grind urad dal first adding enough water.Remove in a big container.Then grind the rice,add salt and mix it thoroughly with the urad dal batter using your hands. Here is the picture of batter i got before fermentation by 4pm.Keep it inside the oven and switch on the oven light. Leave the batter for one full day(24 hrs). The batter is fully fermented the next day by 4pm. During this process the outside temperature was -23c and the heater temperature at home was 23c. Check out my idli,dosa batter post for grinding with stepwise pictures.My sis does the same way.You might also like Soft Idli,crispy dosa batter using mixie Soft idli using idli Rava 15+ Idli varieties collection

Some general tips for fermentation of idli batter

TIPS FOR FERMENTATION
After going through some websites ,  i am giving some additional tips for batter fermentation. Hope it will work for u .

• First recommended thing for batter fermentation is to mix the batter using ur hands..Mix the dal and rice batter thoroughly.. Uneven mixing causes failures. Mixing them by hand works best!
• A warm temperature is essential for fermentation. 25 to 28 °C (77 - 82.4 °F) will be ideal. If the weather is cold, keep some warm water in a large bowl and immerse the vessel containing the dough. To help maintain the temperature of the warm water bath, cover it with a blanket, or better, use a regulated heater, like a heating pad or aquarium heater. Even easier, turn on the light in the oven, and use that to keep the batter warm.
• When u grind the batter, pre heat the oven in 90c for 10 minutes and switch off the oven.Now keep the batter covered inside the oven and turn the oven lights on.. It helps ..
• Add 1/4 tsp of baking soda or baking powder to the ground batter and then ferment. It will help the batter to raise well in harsh cold conditions..Adding poha or cooked rice while grinding also helps for quick fermentation.
• Allow at least 24 hours to ferment. If you don't see tiny bubbles the next morning, the dough will not rise and you have to start all over again.
• If nothing works for u , try adding a fermentation starter like a spoonful of commercially prepared idli batter as they have live culture, it helps for fermentation..
• Use chlorine-free water when grinding, as this will be the water that the batter will have in it when fermenting. Tap water will work, but will inhibit the ferment a little. Most modern water filters remove both chlorine and chloramine. Use non-iodized salt such as ‘Kosher salt’ and Use spring water, boiled or filtered tap water to avoid Chlorine/Fluorine.
• I also read from Indus ladies that adding 1/2 tsp of ENO plain fruit salt for 1 cups of idli batter makes the idli soft even if its not fermented well.Please try this too but iam not sure how it works.

I hope u find this post useful .Thank you.Have a nice day !
Last but not the least,check out my 15 Idli varieties here if interested

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Very good recipes Tags: How to ferment idli batter, how to ferment idli batter in winters, how to ferment idli batter in cold countries, fermentation of idli, dosa batter, idli batter fermentation problem, how to make soft idli, tips for idli batter fermentation