Mushroom Rice

Ingredients

Rice: ¼ kg
Diced mushroom: 2 cups
Finely chopped onion: 1 cup
Green peas: ½ cup
Tomatoes: 2
Chilli powder: 2 tsp

Coriander powder: 2 tsp

Cashew nuts: 4-5 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves: 2-3 tsp

Salt: To taste
Oil: 4-5 tsp

Method
Cook rice and keep aside to cool. Heat oil in a pan and fry cashew nuts and onion. Add mushrooms, chilly powder, salt, coriander powder, green peas and tomatoes and sauté well. Cook till oil separates from the mixture. Add the mixture to the cooked rice and garnish with coriander leaves.

Banana Cake

Baking eggless cakes is really a challenge, as eggs add flavor and richness to a cake, besides being one of the main ingredients which helps for that fluffy structure of the cake. But a friend of mine whose hubby is allergic to eggs told me how to prepare eggless cakes. And I was excited as there was no compromise in the taste as well.

Ingredients
Wheat flour: 2 cups
Condensed milk: 200 gm
Ripe bananas: 3 (I use big variety as it is very easy to mash them)
Baking powder: 2 tsp
Baking soda: ½ tsp
Cocoa powder: 3 tsp
Sugar: 1 cup
Cashew nut: ½ cup (chopped in small pieces)
Oil: ½ cup
Salt: ½ tsp
Warm milk: ¼ cup

Method
Sift flour, soda, baking powder and cocoa powder two to three times. Mix sugar and oil well with a pinch of salt till the sugar starts melting and add it to the sifted flour. Mash bananas into smooth paste before adding condensed milk. Mix well and add it to the flour mixture. Add cashew nut pieces and stir well and check for the right consistency. Add little warm milk and blend well. Grease the bowl with oil or butter and dust it with little flour before pouring the cake mixture. Bake the mixture in microwave oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow the cake to cool and cut into pieces.

Spicy and Tangy Tomato Rice

I cannot imagine my life without tomatoes. I use them almost every day in my cooking, besides eating them raw and using them in salads. My mom prepares yummy tomato rice which is spicy and tangy. She used to serve with generous amount of ghee and it used to be mouth-watering. Here’s the recipe for it:

IngredientsRice: ½ kg
Finely chopped onion: 2
Tomatoes: 2-3, pureed
Finely chopped tomatoes: 5-6
Finely chopped green chillies: 5-6

Grated ginger: 2 tsp
Finely chopped coriander leaves: 3-4 tsp
Salt: To taste
Cinnamon: 2 inches
Cloves: 5-6
Garam masala: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1-2 tsp
Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

For Seasoning
Mustard seeds: 2-3 tsp
Cumin seeds: 2-3 tsp
Bengal gram: 2-3 tsp
Urad dal: 2-3 tsp
Dry red chillies: 3-4, broken into pieces
Curry leaves: 3-4 springs
Asafoetida: ¼ tsp
Cashew nuts: 4-5 tsp
Ghee: 3-4 tsp
Oil: 3-4 tsp

Method
Cook rice and spread it on a plate to cool. Once it is cooled, add 2-3 tablespoons of ghee and separate each grain with the help of a spoon and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a pan and fry cashew nuts till golden brown, drain them and keep aside. Heat oil in the same pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add Bengal gram, urad dal, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves and broken red chillies. Sauté well till the lentils turn golden brown. Add asafetida and curry leaves and sauté for a few more seconds. Add chopped onion, green chillies and ginger and sauté till onion pieces turn translucent. Then add finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, and red chilli powder and mix well. Cook the mixture till tomatoes release juice, on a medium flame. Add tomato puree, garam masala and salt to taste. Simmer for 5-6 minutes and add the mixture to the rice. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and fried cashews and mix well. Serve tomato rice with yogurt or any raita of your choice.

Note: Cashew nuts can be substituted with peanuts.

Sago Payasam

Ingredients
Sago: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 ½ cups
Milk: 4 cups
Cardamom powder: A pinch
Ghee: 2-3 tsp
Cashew nut, raisins and coconut pieces: ¼ cup



Method
Soak sago for 3-4 hours. Boil milk and add the soaked sago. Cook till the sago is transparent and soft. Add sugar and stir well. Fry cashew nuts, raisins and coconut pieces in ghee and add to the payasam. Add cardamom powder and remove from the flame. Serve hot or cold.

Note: Can add jaggery instead of sugar

Flaked Rice Payasm

Ingredients
Flaked rice: 1 cup
Sugar: ½ cup
Milk: 2 cups
Cardamom powder: A pinch
Cashew nut and raisins: 2-3 tsp
Ghee: 2-3 tsp



Method
Heat ghee in a pan and fry cashew and raisins till golden brown. Remove from the fire and set aside. With the remaining ghee, fry the flaked rice till golden brown. Boil milk in a pot and add the fried flaked rice to it. Cook in medium flame till the flaked rice is done. Add sugar, cardamom and stir well. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with cashew nuts and raisins.

Note: Can add jaggery instead of sugar.

Moong Dal Payasam

Ingredients
Moong dal: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 cup
Milk: 1 cup
Water: 3 cups
Cardamom powder: A pinch
Saffron: A pinch
Cashew nut and raisins: 3-4 tsp
Ghee: 3-4 tsp



Method
Take a pressure cooker and fry moong dal with little ghee till golden brown. Add 3 cups of water and pressure cook it up to 2 whistles. After that, mash well in the ladle. In another vessel, bring milk to boil adding saffron. Add the mashed moong dal and boil well for 5-10 minutes. Add sugar and stir well before adding ghee roasted cashews and raisins. Remove from the flame and add cardamom powder. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with cashews and raisins. Serve hot or cold.

Note: Can add jaggery instead of sugar.