Star Fruit or Carambola Rice

Ingredients

Rice: ½ kg
Raw star fruits or Carambola: 4
Grated coconut: 1 cup
Oil: 5-6 tsp
Mustard: 3-4 tsp
Bengal gram: 2 tsp
Urad dal: 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds: 2 tsp
Ground nut: 5-6 tsp
Red chillies: 10-12
Curry leaves: 4-5 springs
Turmeric: ½ tsp
Coriander leaves: 2-3 tsp
Asafoetida: A pinch

Salt: To taste

Method
Cook the rice and allow it to cool by spreading it out on a plate. Once it has cooled, add salt and two tablespoons of oil to the rice. Finely chop the star fruits and grind it with coconut, two tablespoons of mustard and 10 red chillies and keep the paste aside. Heat the remaining oil and add mustard, urad dal, groundnut, asafoetida, curry leaves and two red chillies. Add turmeric and sauté well. Add the grinded star fruit paste and stir fry for 2-3 minutes and add coriander leaves after removing from the flame. Add the mixture on the rice and mix it well. Dry roast fenugreek seeds and crush well before sprinkling it on top of the rice before serving.

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.

Tadka Raita

Ingredients
Yogurt: 1 cup
Salt: As per taste
Green chili: 1
Mint leaves: 1 cup
Curry leaves: 2-3 strands
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tsp

Method
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they start spluttering, add curry leaves and green chili and sauté till they are crisp and remove from fire. Add it to the yogurt and check for salt. Mix well and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve chill.

Moru Kozhambu

Rajeshattan’s wife had given moru kozhambu last week and Vij liked it. It was thick with banana, different from what I used to prepare. I got the recipe from her and tried it today. It came out well and of course, Vij like it a lot.




Ingredients
Raw banana — 2
Shredded coconut — 1 cup
Curd — 2 cups
Turmeric powder — 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds — 1 tsp
Mustard seeds — 1 tsp
Green chillies — 4-5
Raw rice — 1 tsp (soaked in water for 10 minutes)
Curry leaves
Dry red chillies — 3-4
Salt

Method
First cut the raw banana into small cubes and cook them in little water with salt, chopped green chillies, curry leaves and turmeric powder.

Grind shredded coconut, soaked raw rice and cumin seeds into a fine paste. Add the paste to the cooking banana cubes and stir it. Bring it to a boil and make sure the raw smell of the coconut has gone completely. Once it is done, add two cups of curd, stir it and immediately remove from the heat.

For seasoning, add little oil and splutter mustard seeds and add dry chillies and curry leaves. Pour this seasoning on the prepared kozhambu.

Aloo Raita

Ingredients
Potato: 1 cooled, peeled and cut into small cubes
Onion: 1 finely chopped
Green chili: 1 finely chopped
Coriander leaves: 2-3 tsp finely chopped
Yogurt: 2 cups
Salt: As per taste
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Dry chili: 2 broken
Curry leaves: 2-3 strands
Oil: 1 tsp




Method
Mix yogurt, potato cubes, coriander leaves, chopped chili and salt and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add dry chili and curry leaves. Saute till they are crisp and add tadka to the raita. Mix well and for few seconds and then transfer the Tadka to raita and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves. Chill the raita before serving.