THENGAI SADAM(COCONUT RICE)

Coconut Rice | Thengai Sadam  is a very simple dish ,can be done quickly. An ideal dish for lunch box,which i normally prepare once a week.

Ingredients:-

• Coconut grated - 1/2 a Cup
• Basmathi Rice/Raw Rice - 1/2 Cup
• Coconut Oil - 2 TSP
• Cooking Oil - 2 TSP
• Mustard - 1 TSP
• Chana Dal - 1 TSP
• Urad Dal - 1 TSP
• Green Chilly - As needed
• Salt - As Needed

Method:-

• Cook rice and allow it to cool. The grains should not be sticky
• In a kadai,add the cooking oil and temper the mustard seeds,channa dal, freid gram,urad dhal and green chilli. When it is done add it on the top of the rice.
• Add the ghee in the same kadai and fry the scrapped coconut till golden brown. Keep a close watch it shouldnt get burnt.
• Add salt to it. Mix it along with the rice and smear the coconut oil and mix gently. 
• Add a few curry leaves.Serve with pappad/vadagam.

                                         

Puliyodarai

Pulikaichal

Pulikaichal is a preserve which stays for a few months in the fridge. This when mixed with rice is called Puliyodarai. I make pulikaichal once in a month as it can also be served as a side dish to dosa.

Ingredients

• Tamarind- 1/2 cup tightly packed
• Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

For the seasoning

• Red chillies 5 nos (cut into pieces)
• Mustard seeds-2 teaspoons
• Groundnuts- 1 cup
• Channa dal- 1/2 cup
• Urad dal- 1/2 cup
• Hing – 1 small piece or1/4 teaspoon powder
• Til oil (sesame oil) – 1 cup

For the powder

• Til oil 2 teaspoons
• Red chillies – 5 nos
• urad dal – 2 teaspoons
• Channa dal – 2 teaspoons
• Fenugreek or methi seeds – 1 teaspoon
• coriander seeds – 2 teaspoons
• Hing – 1 small piece

Method

1. Soak the tamarind in warm water and squeeze out thick juice to make 1 and 1/2 cup pulp.
2. In a kadai heat 2 teaspoon oil and fry the ingredients for the powder, stirring continously till golden.
3. Allow to cool and grind to a fine powder.
4. In the same kadai heat 1 cup oil and add mustard seeds.
5. When it crackles add all other ingredients for the seasoning and fry till golden.
6. Lower the flame and carefully pour the tamarind pulp in to the seasoning.
7. Add turmeric powder and mix well.
8. Allow to simmer till the pulp is thick.
9. Add salt and the powder and mix well. put off the flame.
10. Allow to cool and store in food safe, air tight containers in the fridge.

For the rice
Ingredients

• Raw rice – 1 cup
• Ghee – 2 teaspoons
• Til oil – 1 teaspoon 
• Curry leaves – 1 twig

Method

1. Wash and prepare rice in a pressure cooker, with 1 cup rice and 2 cups water.
2. Allow to cool a bit and transfer to a shallow dish.
3. Pour 2 teaspoon ghee and curry leaves fried in one teaspoon til oil.
4. Add 3 tablespoons of the pulikaichal and mix lightly with dosa chattukam.

Florets Rice

Ingredients:

• Rice – 1 cup
• Cauliflower – 1 and 1/2 cup (cut into florets)
• Green Peas – 1/2 (half) cup)
• 4 Curry leaves
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds (rai)
• Hing 1/8th of a tsp
• 2 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Ghee

Ingredients for the masala powder:

• 1 tbsp Corriander Seeds
• 2 tbsp Channa dal
• 2 tbsp Urad dal
• 3 dry Red chillies (reduce if you need less spicy)
• 1/6th tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
• 1 tbsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1/4th tsp Fenugreek seeds (Methi)
• 25mm (1 stick) Dalchini
• 1 Clove
• 1 Elachi (Green cardamom)
• 1/4th cup dry coconut grated

• 1 teaspoon oil

Method For the masala powder

1. Pour 1 tsp oil in a frying pan and roast the ingredients for the powder except dry coconut and roast in medium flame till it turns golden. Add dry coconut and fry for 10 seconds.
2. Grind the roasted ingredients in a mixer to coarse powder.
3. Store this powder in an air-tight container.

Method for the rice

1. Clean, wash and cook rice (for one portion of rice add 2 cups of water) – Prefer to use normal rice (not Basmati rice). Allow the rice to cook in any cooker. Each grain of the rice should be separate.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds. After the mustard seeds crackle, add Hing, Curry leaves, Turmeric Powder and Green Peas and saute for a few minutes.
3. Then add Cauliflower and add salt (1/2 tsp – if required add to taste) saute till cauliflower is cooked;
4. Now add the Masala powder (2 tbsp – you can more or less add to suit your taste)
5. Put-off the flame and add rice and ghee. Mix lightly with out breaking the rice grains.
6. Transfer to a serving bowl (check the salt/taste of the ingredients)
7. Serve with Plain curd, mint raita or vegetable raita or a roasted papad.

Lemon Rice

Ingredients:-

• 1 cup small grain rice (You can use biriyani Rice also)
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon refined oil
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 4 green chillies
• 1 teaspoon tumeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• Cashew Nuts-10-12 (Fried in Ghee)

Method:-

• Cook the washed rice and allow it to cool.
•  Heat the oil in a pan.
• Fry the mustard seeds,chillies,peanuts and turmeric powder.
• Add salt to the frying mixture.
• Take the pan off the stove and add the lemon juice.
• Add the cooked rice and mix thoroughly.
• Add the fried cashew to this.
• Lemon Rice is ready!!!!