Basil Pesto And Zucchini Risotto

          We love Italian food at home, so I make pasta dishes once a week or so, other than pasta, risotto is also a favorite. I have made Mushroom and Baby Corn Risotto a couple of times, I wanted to try out a different one this time, so I made this Basil Pesto And Zucchini Risotto. It's an easy one pot dish, of course you have to have store bought or homemade basil pesto in hand. Serve this creamy and delicious risotto along with a some lentil soup and salad for a complete and delicious meal..

Need To Have

• Arborio Rice - 1 cup
• Zucchini - 1 medium, diced
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Frozen Green Peas - 1/2 cup
• Basil Pesto - 3 to 4 tablespoons
• Parmesan Cheese - 2 tablespoons
• Salt And Pepper to taste

Method

          Heat some olive oil, add the chopped onion and saute till it turns pink, then add the zucchini pieces and saute for another minute.

          Wash and add the arborio rice and mix it for one more minute. Add 2 cups of water and a little salt, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook.

          Keep checking, when the water is gone, add 1 cup and  cook, do this 3 times ( total 3 cups water ). When the rice is almost cooked, add the green peas and cook till the peas are done. Mix in 2 teaspoons of butter, switch off and add the cheese and pesto and black pepper to taste, remove and serve it warm, drizzled with some more pesto.

Note
Cook the rice to the desired softness, we like it slightly mushy and creamy.
Take care with the salt, since both the pesto and cheese has some salt in them.
You can add some garlic along with the onions, or you can add some garlic butter instead of regular butter.
Also, you can serve it with lemon wedges.

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Pumpkin Paratha

          Pumpkin is not a vegetable that I buy every other day, I cook something with it, might be, once or twice in a month. That's mainly because, I know and have tried only very few dishes with it, a pachadi, soup and sometimes added it to sambar/kuzhambu. This pumpkin paratha has been on the try out list for some time, and finally, I made it couple of weeks back. These parathas are not the stuffed version, in this one, we just add pumpkin puree along with other spices to the flour while making the dough. The parathas turned out very soft and I have also added some ajwain, sesame seeds and ginger which gave a nice flavor to them..

Need To Have

• Whole Wheat Flour/Atta - 1 cup + 1 tablespoon
• Besan Flour/Chana Dal Flour - 1/2 cup
• Pumpkin Puree - 1 cup
• Sesame Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Ajwain Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Grated Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Green Chilly - 1, chopped finely
• Chopped Coriander - 1/4 cup
• Salt to taste

Method

          Take the flours, ajwain seeds, sesame seeds. green chilly, ginger, salt, turmeric powder and coriander, add the pumpkin puree ( cook the pumpkin pieces with a little water and grind it ).

          Bring everything together and make a soft dough, apply some oil and keep it for 10 minutes and then make small lemon sized balls.

          Roll them out into discs, cook them on a hot tawa/pan, applying a little oil, till you get light brown spots on both sides. Remove and serve it warm with pickles or any side dish of your choice.

Note
I have added that extra tablespoon of flour, because the dough was very sticky. it depends on how thick or thin the pumpkin puree is.
You can use ghee instead of oil for a nice flavor.
Also you can increase the amount of sesame seeds and ajwain seeds by another half or one teaspoon. 

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Thayir Semiya, Semiya Bagalabath, Curd Semiya/Vermicelli

          Thayir Semiya, this is something that I make very often at home, in fact I have already posted a recipe, Beetroot Semiya Bagalabath here in my blog, today's version is a slight variation and it's again my friend's recipe. It has a sweetish taste, we add some sugar, raisins and lots of pomegranate. It's a very easy dish, delicious way to end any meal and great for parties too..

Need To Have

• Semiya/Vermicelli - 1 cup
• Yogurt/Curd - 2 to 3 cups
• Raisins - 20
• Pomegranate - 1 cup
• Sugar - 21/2 tablespoons
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Grated Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Green Chilly - 1, chopped
• Asafoetida/Hing - 1/8 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt to taste

Method

          Cook the semiya/vermicelli with 2 to 3 cups of water, wash well in cold water, drain and keep.

          Add the curd and salt and mix it well.

          Heat some oil, toast the raisins, remove and keep. Next, heat some more oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, once it starts spluttering, add the ginger, green chilly, asafoetida and curry leaves and saute for a minute.

          Add this along with the raisins, sugar and pomegranate, mix it well, refrigerate and serve it slightly cold.

Note
Boil the water, then add the semiya and cook, then wash with cold water and drain.
If you like you can add some toasted cashews and even some grapes too.
My friend had added more sugar, but the amount that I have given is just enough.
Add salt carefully, the final dish should have a sweet taste and the salt should not be tasted.

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Thakkali Dosai, Tomato Dosa

          How many times I make dosas at home, at least 3 or 4 times a week, starting from plain dosas, rava dosa, ragi and other millet dosas, today's dish is another dosa, Tomato Dosa. I have tasted this dosa a couple of times, and usually it's done with freshly done batter, without fermentation, but this dosa today is made after fermenting. When we use fermented batter to make the dosas, it's much easier, just pour and spread like regular dosas. The dosas come out very crispy and tastes very good with coconut chutney and sambar..

Need To Have

• Idli Rice - 2 cups
• Urad Dal/Husked Whole Black Gram - 2 tablespoons
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Dried Red Chillies - 6
• Garlic Cloves -6
• Fennel Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Tomatoes - 2 cups, chopped
• Salt - 2 teaspoons

Method

          Wash and soak overnight the rice along with the urad dal and fenugreek seeds. Next day morning grind it along with the red chillies, garlic cloves, tomatoes and fennel seeds into a smooth batter. Mix it with the salt and let it ferment for at least 10 to 12 hours.

          Just before making the dosas, mix the batter, it should have a pouring consistency ( like a thin pancake batter ). Pour a laddle ( big one ) of batter, spread it out, add a little oil around the edges, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, till you see brown spots, flip it, cook on the other side for a minute or two and remove.

Note
The batter will not rise that much like the regular dosa batter, but you'll see very small bubble like texture on the top.
Also when you spread the dosa batter, bubbles should break and holes should be formed, that shows the batter has fermented well.

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Cauliflower Au Gratin

          Cauliflower Au Gratin, this has been on my do-list for a long time, there are so many recipes on the net, but all of them ( at least the ones that I checked ) called for Gruyere cheese, which I was not able to find here. I even tried to find it online, but the closest that I could get was Emmental Cheese Slices, but I still wanted to make this Au Gratin, so I went ahead and made it with the Emmental cheese. This is a very simple dish, just baking cauliflower with cheesy white sauce and topped with bread crumbs and more cheese, an excellent side, serve it with a light pasta dish and some soup for a complete meal..

Need To Have

• Cauliflower - 1 small head
• Milk - 11/2 cup
• Butter - 11/2 tablespoon
• All Purpose Flour - 11/2 tablespoon
• Emmental Cheese Slices - 4
• Parmesan Cheese - 3 tablespoon
• Bread Crumbs - 1/4 cup
• Nutmeg Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt And Pepper to taste

Method

          Break the cauliflower into big florets, add it to boiling water and leave for 3 to 5 minutes, then strain and keep.

          Mix the melted butter and  flour together, then add the milk, mix it well with a whisk and cook it till it becomes a little thick.

          Then add the nutmeg powder, 2 of the Emmental cheese slices, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste, whisk it well into a smooth mixture and keep.

          Add 1/2 of the cheese mixture in a baking tray, top it with the cauliflower pieces, then pour the remaining cheese mixture.

          Top it with half of the bread crumbs, followed by the cheese slices ( I tore it into small pieces ), then add the remaining bread crumbs, add some more pepper powder, bake it at 190 C for 30 minutes till the top turns golden.

Note
If you can't find Emmental cheese, I think you can still do it with some cheddar cheese too or even with only parmesan cheese.
If you are using grated cheese instead of the emmental cheese slices, just mix it with the bread crumbs, spread over the cauliflower and bake.
Since I was using the emmental cheese for the first time, wast not too sure of the taste, so I used only four slices, but if you're using grated cheese, make sure the top is covered liberally with the cheese and bread crumbs mixture.

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Vendaya Paniyaram, Fenugreek Paniyaram

          We love Paniyarams at home, both the sweet and savory versions, I have posted a couple of them in my blog too. Usually we use the leftover idli/dosa batter to make the savory paniyarams, we add some sauteed onion, chillies to this batter and make the paniyarams, today also for these Vendiya/Fenugreek Seeds Paniyaram, I have used leftover dosa batter, but in a slightly different way. This is a friend's recipe, she made this for me once along with some Puli Chutney ( will post it next ), hot, hot paniyarams with that chutney was simply too, too good. As usual, I got the recipe from her and tried it out, it came out really well, do try this out, the next time you have some dosa batter left..

Need To Have

• Idli Rice - 2 cups
• Fenugreek Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Leftover Dosa Batter - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 medium, chopped
• Green Chillies - 3, chopped
• Curry Leaves - 15 - 20
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup
• Salt - 1 teaspoon

Method

          Wash and soak overnight, the idli rice along with the fenugreek seeds. The next day morning, grind it well into a smooth paste in a blender.

          Remove it, add the 1 cup dosa batter and the teaspoon of salt and mix it well, cover and leave it to ferment. If you have mixed the batter at about 9:30 in the morning, let it ferment till the next day 9:00 am.

          Then add the chopped onions, chillies, curry leaves and coriander leaves and mix it well, it should be like a slightly thick pancake or dosa batter and grease the paniyaram pan as shown in the picture.

          Spoon out the batter, cover and cook till the top looks cooked and the bottom turns golden, then flip it, add a little more oil and cook on the other side too. Remove and serve it warm with the chutney of your choice, I served it with the Puli Chutney, will post it next.

Note
The batter has to ferment really well, you won't see the batter rising, as in the case of idli batter, but when you make the paniyarams, you'll see the batter bubbling, that's the sign that the batter has fermented well.
I stay in Bangalore, so I let it fermet for almost 24 hours, if you are staying in a very hot place, then you can reduce this time by 4 to 5 hours, but a little longer than for the regular idli batter.
I have given here as dosa batter specifically, most of us know idli batter is slightly thicker than dosa batter, and also leftover dosa batter would be slightly more fermented than the fresh idli batter.
We're not adding urad dal for fermentation, the dosa batter is the one which does that work.

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Fluffy Pooris ( Puris )

          It has taken me so long ( more than 3 years ) to post these pooris/puris, though I make rotis/chappathis every other day, I make pooris very rarely, also, till now, I never got a chance to take pictures. Making perfect pooris might be a little hard for a beginner ( I have also been one ), they might turn out flat and crispy. The key to getting soft and fluffy pooris is in preparing the dough correctly and then rolling them, not too thin, of course, all this comes with practice..

Need To Have

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Method

          Mix the flour with the salt, then adding water, little by little, make a stiff dough, apply some oil and keep for 5 minutes.

          Then make small lemon size balls, and roll them out into slightly thick discs.

         Heat some oil for deep frying, add the rolled out discs, one at a time.

         When it starts fluffing up, slowly flip it and cook on both sides till they turn golden on both sides. Remove, strain the excess oil and serve.

Note
I make small pooris, so that I can keep a small quantity of oil for deep frying. I got 12 pooris for the quantity given.
The dough should be stiff, but smooth.
Check the oil temperature before adding the pooris, drop a small piece of dough, it should come up in seconds.
When the poori starts fluffing, pressing it slightly with the spoon helps it to fluff up fully.

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Rava ( Semolina, Sooji ) Idlis

          I had made Rava Idlis from scratch, many years ago and after that, whenever I made it, I used the readymade mix only, but doing Rava Idlis from scratch had always been on my do list. And finally, I did it recently, not once but twice, both the times it came out very well, so from now onwards, no more readymade mix. These idlis can be made instantly, no fermentation, just need some curd and Eno/fruit salt to do the work. I was totally happy with the result, the texture of the idlis was perfect, they were soft and tasted delicious..

Need To Have

• Rava/Semolina/Sooji - 11/2 cup
• Curd/Yogurt - 11/2 cup
• Cashews - 1 tablespoon, broken pieces
• Chana Dal/Bengal Gram - 1 tablespoon
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 1/2 tablespoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Ginger - 1" piece, grated
• Carrot - Grated, about 3 to 4 tablespoons
• Green Chilly - 1, chopped finely
• Chopped Coriander - 1/4 cup
• Curry Leaves - 10, coarsely chopped
• Vegetable Oil - 4 teaspoons
• Ghee - 1 teaspoon
• Eno/Fruit Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Heat the ghee and 1 teaspoon oil, add the rava/semolina and roast it till you get a nice aroma, remove and keep. Heat the remaining 3 teaspoons of oil, add the cashews, roast it a little, add the chana dal, urad dal, followed by the mustard seeds, once the mustard seeds starts spluttering, add the asafoetida, followed by the ginger, green chilly and curry leaves and saute for a minute.

          Remove and add it to the semolina, then add 1 cup curd and 1/2 cup water, mix and leave it for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, add another 1/2 cup curd and 1/2 cup water. salt, mix and leave for another minute. Before adding the Eno/Fruit Salt, grease the idli molds, add the carrots and keep.

           Then add the chopped coriander, mix, finally add the Eno, mix and pour it immediately in the idli molds, over the carrots.

          Steam it for about 13 to 15 minutes, switch off, remove the idlis after a minute or two and serve them warm.

Note
After adding the Eno, do the idlis immediately, the quantity that I have given is correct for 16 idlis. Always do the amount that is correct for your idli steamer, I can make 16 idlis at a time, if doing more, I'll do it in batches.
Don't use very very fine semolina, it should be at least slightly coarse.
Leftover idlis can be refrigerated, just microwave them before serving.

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Saamai ( Little Millet ) And Vegetable Upma

           This is my 500th post, it took me more than 3 years to do this, with my laziness, I can't believe that I have done so many posts. Actually I should have celebrated it with something sweet, but I noticed it only now, Well then, coming to today's post, Millet Upma, I have started including millets in our diet at least 2 or 3 times in a week, mostly I use it in the place of rice, in idlis, dosas, pongal and pilafs. I made this upma, some time back, I have used saamai/little millet and I have made it slightly different from the regular upma. The upma was very flavorful and colorful from the different vegetables and was very filling too. We can serve it either with coconut chutney or even with yoghurt/curd..

Need To Have

• Saamai/Little Millet - 3/4 cup
• Onions - 2 medium, chopped
• Yellow Capsicum/Bell Pepper - 1 small, chopped
• Carrot - 1 small, chopped
• Fresh/Frozen Green Peas - 1/4 cup
• Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
• Chopped Coriander - 2 tablespoons
• Green Chillies - 2, sliced
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 1 tablespoon
• Curry Leaves - 10 - 15

To Pound

• Shallots - 4
• Ginger - 1" piece
• Garlic - 3 cloves

Method

          Pound together all the ingredients given under ' to pound ' with a mortar and pestle. Wash and drain the saamai and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the chopped onions, green chillies and curry leaves and saute for a minute. Then add the pounded onions and keep sauteing till you get a nice smell.

          Add the capsicum, carrots and peas and mix it, then add the tomatoes and keep mixing for another minute.

          Add the millet and mix for one more minute, then add about 21/2 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Then reduce the heat, cover and cook till the millets are cooked. Finally mix in the chopped coriander, cover and leave it undisturbed for about 10 minutes.

Note
You can add some roasted peanuts or cashews for more taste.

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