orema

  Eggplant | brinjal| kathrikkai whatever you call is one of my favorite veggie and especially this curry which my mom makes with the big eggplant which we use for Baingan bharta is my most favorite one. I still remember wheni was pregnant with my second kid, i used to ask my mom to make this alteast 3-4 times a week. This will taste awesome when we mix with hot rice and eat with papad(my mouthwaters!!)

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

• Cut the brinjals into cubes. Slice the onions thinly.

• In a pan add oil and throw in the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When it crackles add the thinly sliced onions and saute for 2 minutes.
• Add the cubed  brinjals and throw in the sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt.

• Saute them  in a medium flame till the brinjals become tender and cooked nicely.

• When the color changes to dark brown, switch of the flame.
• Serve hot with plain rice or enjoy with simple Tomato Rasam and rice.

Note:

• You can use small brinjals or the green color brinjals too.
• Sambar powder can be replaced with red chilli powder too.

When i posted the recipe of Puli Milagai few weeks back, a few readers sent me the request for puli inji recipe. Though my mom makes puli inji at home being a ardent hater of Ginger, i somehow postponed to make puli inji. But recently when i tasted this in my friend’s place i somehow liked the taste and decided to make puli inji and post the recipe. Normally it is one of the dish made in Onam Sadhya Menu, which i heard it recently from Nags .

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

• In a pan add oil and throw in the mustard seeds and asafoetida.
• When the mustard splutters, add the grated ginger.( grate the ginger finely)

• Saute the ginger for 2 minutes and add the tamarind extract.
• To get the tamarind extract, soak a lemon sized tamarind in hot water and extract the water as we do for making sambar.

• Add the red chilly powder, salt, jaggery,and turmeric powder.
• Keep it in a low flame and let it come to a mass.
• this will take 10 –14 minutes.

• When the ginger gets completely cooked and the oil starts leaving the sides, switch off the flame.
• Allow this to completely cool and store it in a clean dry container.
• Use dry spoon when ever you take it for use.

Note:

• 2-3 green chilli can be added while tempering mustard seeds.
• Coconut oil can be used if you want to get authentic kerala taste.

This vegetable rice is an easy and ideal one to pack for lunch box . Normally i make this during Monday mornings as it is quite lazy to get back into the normal after a weekend. I think most of us have this Monday blues!!. Vegetable Rice or Vegetable Biryani ( my son calls in this way) how ever you name it, it is one of the simplest one and made in a jiffy too. The best part is no need to grind any ingredients and is a simple one pot meal to have to Sunday Brunch too.

INGREDIENTS

METHOD:

• Wash the rice and soak it in 1 and 1/2 cup water for 20 minutes.
• Chop the veggies finely.

• In a pressure cooker, add oil | ghee and add the finely chopped coriander leaves.
• Saute for few seconds and add the chopped veggies.

• Now add the red chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt to it.
• Mix well.

• Now add the soaked rice along with the water and close the lid of the pressure cooker.

• Pressure cook for 2 whistles.
• Once done , fluff the rice with a fork .

• Serve with any raitha .I packed the lunch box with cucumber raitha.

Note:

1. Mint leaves can be added instead of coriander leaves.
2. You can add any veggies such as potato, cauliflower etc.
3. Even sometimes i add paneer too.
4. Frozen veggies can be used if you want to make this more easy.