Chicken Kurma

Ingredients: 

Chicken: 1 whole chicken (around 3lbs- cut into pieces)
Onions - 1 Big finely chopped
Tomatoes - 1
Green chillis - 4
Salt to taste
Chilli powder - 2 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cashews - 10
Poppy Seeds/Gasagasalu - 1tsp
Dry Coconut/Fresh grated coconut - 10 pieces/ handful if taking grated coconut
Turmeric - 1/2tsp
Water - 1 cup
Whole Garam Masala : 4 each whatever you have- Cinnamon stick, cardamon, Cloves etc.
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
Jeera powder - 1tsp
Coriander- for garnishing
Oil - 2tbsp

Procedure: 

• In a big kadai heat oil and add whole garam masala and fry for 1 min and add the chopped onions and green chilis and fry till the onions turn golden brown. 
• Add Ginger Garlic paste and fry until the raw smell is away. 
• Add Tomatoes, cumin powder, chili powder, turmeric, and salt to taste and fry until the tomatoes turn mushy. 
• Add the cut chicken pieces into it and mix well and adjust the chili powder and salt if needed. 
• Put on high flame for 5 mins and cook continuously until the rawness of chicken is gone. 
• Meanwhile make a smooth paste of soaked cashews, poppy seeds and coconut together and keep aside. 
• Once the water is oozing out of chicken add this paste and mix well and add 1 cup of water and put on low flame and put the lid on and cook for 15 to 20 mins. 
• Check the consistency and add little water if you want  more gravy. Adjust salt and spiciness and add garam masala and cook for another 5 mins and garnish it with coriander and serve. 

Raagi Sweet Dosa/Uthappam/Adai

Ingredients:

Raagi Flour- 1/2 cup
Wheat flour -  2 tbsp
Jaggery/Bellam - 1/4 cup
Grated Coconut - 1/3 cup (optional)
Cardamom powder - 1tsp
Nuvvula Oil/ Gingelly Oil - for frying or cooking the dosa

Procedure:

• In a mixing bowl, add ragi flour, wheat flour, grated coconut, cardamom powder and mix well.
• In a microwave safe bowl heat 3 to 4tbsp water and to it add the jaggery and dissolve it. 
• Now filter the jaggery mix to remove any sand or dust in it.
• Add the jaggery mix to the flour mix and mix it well by adding water to the mix.
• The mixture has to be not too thick nor watery. It has to be thicker than the dosa batter.

• Heat a dosa pan and add ghee/ oil on the pan.
• Put one laddle full of batter on the heated pan and spread it from middle to sides very slowly.

1. It will take for 2-3 mins to cook.
2. Now put little oil on the dosa and flip it to the other side and cook for another 1 min and serve.
3. Repeat the process with the remaining batter and serve it hot. 
4. This is a very good and healthy breakfast for both kids and adults.

Tips: 

• This will not be very thin as dosa and not as thicker as uthappam but medium in size.
• If you try to turn or spread the batter hard and fast on the pan it may not be perfect but crumbles. So be careful while spreading the dosa.
• Without the grated coconut it may be little harder but tastes good too. 

Eggless Wholewheat Dates Cake/Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Dates - 18 to 20 (preferred seedless)
Milk - 3/4th cup
Sugar - 3/4th cup
All purpose Flour/ Maida - 1cup (or) Whole wheat flour - 1cup
Oil - 1/2 cup
Baking Soda - 1tsp
Cashews/Walnuts/Pecans/Almonds - 1/2 cup (chopped) use any nuts you have.

Procedure:

• Soak dates in warm milk or just microwave for 5 mins till warm so that the dates turn soft enough to grind.
• Add sugar and along with the milk and dates into a blender and grind it to a smooth paste.
• Take this in a large mixing bowl. Add oil and mix.
• Sieve together flour and baking soda in a separate bowl.
• Add the flour 1 tsp at a time and mix well with a spatula.
• Add nuts and mix well. Do not over mix it.
• Preheat oven at 350F. Bake the cake in a greased oven proof dish for 35-40 mins or till the knife inserted in the cake comes out clean. (or) Pour the batter in the cupcake molds. But it takes only 20- 25 mins to cook the cupcakes.
• Cut it into pieces and serve the cake. For cup cakes transfer them onto the cooling rack and serve when cool.

This cake is more yummier the next day.

Tomato Brocolli Pachadi/Pickle

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 3 medium
Brocolli - 1/2 medium
Green Chillis - 4
Tamarind - small piece for taste
Garlic pods - 3
Jeera - 1tsp
Salt to taste

Popu/Tadka:
Oil - 1tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1tsp
Curry leaves - 6 to 7
Red Chillis - 2
Hing/Asafoetida - pinch

Procedure:

1. Heat a pan, add little oil and add the green chillis. Once they start turning color add the tomatoes and broccoli to it and let it cook till the tomatoes and broccoli turn soft.
2. Add the tamarind to it and switch off the flame.
3. Transfer this mixture to the mixie jar and add jeera, salt, garlic and let it cool. 
4. Once cool grind it to a fine paste without adding any water and take it in a bowl.
5. Now heat oil in a small pan and add the tadka/popu items and add it to the prepared pachadi.
6. Mix it well and serve it with hot rice/ idly/ dosa/ uthappam etc. This goes well with any breakfast dishes.

Karnataka Style Rasam

Ingredients:

Tamarind juice: 1cup
Tomato puree: 1 cup
Pappu/Dal water:
Green chillis: 4
Turmeric: 1/2tsp
Sugar/Bellam: little for taste
Salt: As needed

For Powder:
Garlic cloves: 4
Pepper corns: 7
Dhaniya: 1tsp
Jeera: 1tsp

For tadka/Popu:
Oil/Ghee: 1tsp
Mustard Seeds: 1tsp
Red Chillis: 2
Curry Leaves: 10
Hing: pinch

For garnishing:
Coriander : few cut leaves
Shredded Coconut: 2tsp

Procedure:

• Take some water in a bowl and boil it. 
• While boiling add the slit green chillis, turmeric, salt, tamarind juice, tomato juice, sugar and let it boil for a few mins.
• While boiling add the dal water if you have any. (this step is optional only if you have any pappu neelu/dal water).
• Meanwhile make a powder of the above mentioned powder ingredients either in a grinder or just crush it in a hand mortar and pestle for better taste.
• Add this powder into the boiling rasam and let it boil for 2mins.
• Heat another small pan aside and add ghee/oil along with all tadka items. Add this popu to the rasam and switch off the flame. 
• Serve it hot with rice or can take it as a soup.

Keera Capsicum Curry

Ingredients:

Keera - 1
Capsicum - 1
Onion - 1/2 medium
Green Chillis - 4
Turmeric- pinch
GGP/ Ginger Garlic Paste - 2tsp
Besan - 2tsp
Oil or Ghee  - 3-4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1tsp
Jeera - 1tsp
Curd- 1cup
Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Heat 2tsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and jeera. Once they are spluttering add the onions, green chillis, Salt and turmeric and fry for a few mins.
• Now add GGP and fry for 2 mins.
• Add cut keera and capsicum and keep the lid and cook for 10 mins.
• Some water oozes out from it and let it cook.
• Add little water and curd to the curry and mix well.
• Meanwhile in another pan add remaining oil and add the besan and fry till the aroma comes out.
• Take the lid and once it is done, add the fried besan mix and mix well and there should not be any lumps in the curry.
• Adjust the consistency by adding little water if needed.
• Serve it hot with rice or chapati.

Egg Flip

This is again one more healthy and simple recipe which is kids friendly and where we can eat a raw egg without that bad smell. This is a very good recipe for protein deficient kids. Protein deficient kids generally does not show any interest in games or getting tired very fast, their skin is very thin and wrinkles/folds come when we hold them etc. These are some of the major symptoms of children deficient in protein. Here the simple egg flip recipe goes:

Ingredients:
Egg - 1
Milk - 1cup
Vanilla essence - 1tsp
Nut meg powder - pinch for flavor
Sugar - 1 to 2 tsp

Procedure:

• Whisk one egg in a bowl thoroughly with a whisker/shaker/blender. 
• To this add milk, vanilla essence, nutmeg powder, sugar and mix well with a whisker/shaker/blender.
• Now serve this energy drink cold.

Tips/ Health benefits:
As there is a raw egg present in the recipe this is not advisable for pregnant women, kids under 3yrs, or elderly people.
Do not let them know that there is raw egg present in this drink and they will love it.
School going children can have this drink at least once or twice in a week and you will definitely see a big marked difference in their resistance, energy, bone and muscle strength etc.

Simply Pan Cakes

Ingredients:

Maida/All Purpose Flour- 1cup
Baking Powder - 1tsp
Baking Soda - pinch
Milk - 3/4cup
Sugar- 2tbsp
Salt - pinch for taste
Egg - 1
Butter - 2tbsp (optional) can be replaced with oil.

Procedure:

• Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar with a whisk and keep aside.
• In another bowl add milk along with butter/oil and mix gently with a whisk and add the egg and mix it for 2mins. 
• Now add the flour mix into the milk mixture slowly and mix it with the whisk and make sure there are no lumps and keep it aside for 10-15mins.
• Heat the skillet/dosa pan on medium heat.
• Grease it with butter and add one full laddle of the batter in the middle of the pan.(a perfect batter will get some small bubbles on top of the pan cake when poured on the pan.) We can add more than one if we have a big pan and want to make small pan cakes as shown in picture.

• When the bubbles on it popped, gently flip them onto another side and cook it, serve. 
• Repeat the process with the remaining batter and serve them hot with honey or maple syrup.

Note:

1. Make sure that the pan is not too hot as it may burn the edges of the pan cake and loose its fluffyness.
2. You can use just the baking soda and 1tsp vinegar inspite of egg if you are a vegan and want to avoid egg.
3. After flipping if you cover it with a lid and cook, makes more softer and fluffy pan cakes.

Tomato Rasam

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 2 (medium)/3 (small)
Pepper Corns - 1/2 tsp
Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
Green chillis - 2
Rasam Powder - 1tsp
Garlic pods - 3
Coriander leaves -  for garnishing

For popu/tadka:

Ghee - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing - pinch
Methi seeds - 6 or 7

Procedure:

• Boil tomatoes in 3 glasses of water for 5 to 10 mins till they are soft.
• Now take only the tomatoes from the water and peel the skin, mash them soft and then add this mixture, salt, rasam powder into the water above again.
• Course grind the garlic pods, green chillis with hand grinder and keep aside.
• Heat oil,ghee in a separate skillet and add all the tadka items and when the mustard seeds started spluttering add the above grinded mixture, pepper powder, jeera powder and fry for 2 mins and add this to the boiling rasam and let it boil for 5 to 10 mins.
• Lastly add the coriander on top and serve it hot with rice. 

Simple Nilava Tomato Pachadi/Pickle Andhra Style

Ingredients:

Tomatoes- 3lb (around 11-12 medium size tomatoes)
Mustard seeds- 1tsp
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder- 2 1/2 tbsp
Salt - 3tsp
Tamarind - small piece (add only if the tomatoes are not so tangy)
Vinegar- 1tsp (optional)
Methi seeds - 2tsp
Oil- 2tbsp

For tempering/popu:

Oil - 1/8cup
Mustard seeds- 1tsp
Red Chillis- 5
Curry leaves - 15 to 20
Hing- Pinch
Garlic- 6 whole pods (cut into rounds)

Procedure:

• Dry roast methi seeds till they are lightly brown in color and when slightly the aroma of the seeds comes out and transfer it into the blender. Let it cool and make into powder.
• Cut tomatoes by removing the upper part and keep aside.
• Heat the pan and add oil, mustard seeds and when they start spluttering add cut tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes on high heat till they are soft and reduce the flame to medium low.(make sure the tomatoes are cooked without the lid on it)
• Meanwhile add chilli powder, salt, tamarind, vinegar and keep mixing. 
• Cook it till oil separates from the tomatoes. For this it may take around 45mins to 1hour on medium flame.
• When all the water evaporates and oil oozes from the puree add the methi seed powder, mix well, switch of the flame and let it cool. 
• Heat oil in a separate pan and add all the tadka items mentioned above and when mustard seeds starts spluttering switch off the flame. Add this to the tomato mix and let them cool completely. 
• Transfer it into a dry, air-tight container and store it in refrigerator. 
• This pickle goes well idlis, dosas and also with hot rice.

Tip: 
To make it into chutney you can add 1tbsp of pickle into 1cup of yogurt and mix well.

Vaangi Bhaat

Ingredients:

Rice - 2cups
Vankayalu/Brinjal - 1/2 kg or 8
Onions - 1/2 small
Chillis -2
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2tsp
Salt to taste

For powder:

Chana dal- 3tsp
Urad dal- 1 1/4 tsp
Ground nut - 8
Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 10
Dhaniyalu/Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red Chillis -3
Dry Cocunut powder - 2tsp
Turmeric - Pinch
Salt pinch
Hing - pinch

Procedure:

1. Cook rice in 3 1/2 cups of water in pressure cooker and transfer it into a bowl.
2. Add 1 tsp oil, salt and let it cool.
3. Heat a small skillet and to it add chana dal, urad dal, red chillis, ground nut, coriander seeds and dry roast them on low flame. 
4. When they are lightly brown in color add all the other ingredients mentioned in powder section and switch off the flame. 
5. Let it cool and make it a powder and store it in an air tight container.
6. Cut brinjal into long thin slices and add some oil and salt to it and keep it aside.
7. Heat a big skillet to it add oil, mustard seeds, jeera and when they start spluttering add thinly sliced onions and chillis and fry till brown in color.
8. Add the brinjal pieces and let them cook til they are slightly soft. Do not overcook.
9. Now add 4tbsp of the powder to the fried brinjals and mix well.
10. Add the cooked rice the mixture and mix well. Cover it with the lid and cook for another 5 mins and serve hot with raitha.

Ravva Laddu

Happy Dasara to all my friends and Family. As this is the season of Navaratri specials i just wanted to share at least one sweet with you all. This is one the favourite sweets to the Goddess so i made this sweet this year for Naivedhyam. This is one of the dishes that i made during these 9days and wanted to share with you all. Yet more to come in my next posts.

Ingredients:

Goduma Ravva - 1cup
Grated Coconut - 1cup
Ghee- 3tsp
Cashews- few
Grated Badam - few
Kiss Miss(Raisins)- few
 (i took 1/4 cup of each dry fruits as per our taste)
Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - as needed

Procedure:

• Heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashews and kiss miss till light brown in color and keep aside.
• In the same ghee pan add the goduma ravva on low flame fry them till light golden color and take aside in a bowl.
• Now in the same pan without any ghee add the grated coconut and fry for 5 mins and add this to the goduma ravva bowl.
• Add the fried dry fruits, elaichi powder and sugar to this mixture and mix well. 
• To this add some cold milk 1tsp at a time and mix well till they are lightly wet and good enough to make balls.
• Now make round balls when it is lightly hot only. Because if it is cold it will become hard and when cold serve.
• You can store them in refrigerator for 2 weeks to enjoy fresh ravva laddu.

Tips:

1. Make sure that you do not fry the ravva on high heat. Because it changes the color very easily which makes it taste very bitter. 
2. Be careful while adding the milk to the mixture at the end. If you add more milk it will avoid us to make balls  easily and will be sticky to hands.
3. You can add any of the dry fruits of your choice to this recipe.

Oats Cookies

Ingredients:

Quick Oats - 1/2cup
Oats Powder - 1 cup (I grinded the oats into powder but did not buy it outside)
Maida/All-purpose Flour - 1 1/2cup
Brown Sugar - 1cup
Eggs - 2
Vanilla Extract - 1tsp
Butter/Oil - 1cup
Baking Soda - Pinch
Pinch of salt

Procedure:

• Preheat oven to 350° F. 
• Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. 
• Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat well. 
• Mix flour, baking soda and salt together and keep aside. 
• Add this flour mix to the above mixture and mix well.
• Slowly stir in oats powder. 
• The mixture will be like the chapati dough. 
• Make round balls and little flat at the middle and keep them on the cookie sheets.
• On top of the biscuits add some oats and press it a bit.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes on sheet and serve.

Daddojanam (Andhra Style)/ Curd Rice

I generally have this Daddojanam or Curd rice in temples but never tried it at home. But in one of the festivals time i did not get much time to make pulihora so i made this curd rice for the first time by asking this recipe from one of my friends and frankly saying it was not that great that day. But later with some changes to the recipe it was a big hit. First time i mixed the curd in hot rice and also used little curd, and the rice consistency to what it got cooked is also not cooked to the right amount. So to avoid all these mistakes in my second attempt i made some modulations and it came out yummy. But please do remember to follow the right amount of ingredients while doing the recipe to get the perfect Daddojanam.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1cup
Curd - 5cups
Cashews - 1hand full
Chana Dal - 2tsp
Urad dal - 1tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1tsp
Curry leaves - 15
Jeera - 1tsp
Green Chillis - 2
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Red Chillis - 2
Asafoetida - pinch
Oil - 1tsp
Ghee - 2tsp
Coriander Leaves - hand full
Carrot - 1/2 cup grated
Keera/Dosakaya - 1/4 cup(optional)
Salt to taste

Procedure:

• First cook rice with 1cup rice and 2 1/2cups water in a pressure cooker and remove it out and let it cool and  keep aside.
• Now make a paste of green chillis, ginger, jeera and salt together.
• Heat ghee in a pan, fry cashews till light brown colour and keep aside.
• In the same pan add the oil(or ghee is fine), chana dal, urad dal fry for 2 mins till light color change
• Add red chillis, mustard, jeera, curry leaves added and fry for 2 mins on low flame. 
• Now in this add the green chilli paste that we made above and a pinch of hing. 
• Now we get an aroma of the hing mixed with all the ingredients.
• This mixture is now mixed into the rice and also the cashews, grated carrot(half of the quantity), grated keera, salt is also added to rice. 
• Add the whipped curd into the rice and mix well till all the ingredients are well mixed.
• Now garnish it with the carrot on top and serve it cool. 

Points to remember:

1. Make sure you mix all the ingredients only after the rice is cool. Otherwise if you add it when hot then it may become hard after it gets cool. So better to add in when cool.
2. Use only fresh curd rather than sour one. Because after sometime it may change the taste to sour, so if we use sour curd it becomes more worst. To avoid this add little more salt too.
3. To get the గుడి(temple) style daddojanam add whole pepper corns instead of green chillis. 

Undrallu/Kudumulu, Aardhi for Vinayaka Chavithi

We generally do this Kudumulu for almost many of the festivals and one main festival we do this is for Ganesh Chaturdhi. This is a very common and favourite dish for Ganesh. 

Kudumulu

Ingredients:

Rice - 1cup
Chana Dal - 1tbsp
Jeera - 1tsp (optional)
Salt to taste

Procedure: 

1. Soak the chana dal overnight in water.
2. Soak the rice in water for 1 hour and let it dry under sun or fan till half dry.
3. Now course grind the rice by just pushing the grinder button to pulse mode and repeat it again depending on the consistency (it must not be very powder or very course. need to see at least some course rice like cream of rice)
4. Now sieve it and keep the course rice aside. 
5. For one cup of rice add 2cups of water and to this add the chana dal and let it cook till done.
6. Now add some salt to taste and add the cream of rice in it and mix well.
7. Keep the lid on it and let it cook for 5-10 mins till done. You will know that it is done when it is not that sticky if you test it by hand.
8. Now make this mixture into small balls (lemon size) and pressure cook them in the idly pan for 10-15 mins and now the kudumulu is ready to serve.

Points to remember(Hints):

• You can directly use cream of rice that we get it from the store by avoiding the steps 2, 3 and 4. But the above method is and old tradition method which gives us the perfect taste of kudumulu.
• Depending on the consistency after adding rice you can add some water if necessary. If it becomes very hard as soon as we added rice.
• Do not mix while adding the cream of rice. Mix it only after adding the full rice into it. If you do mix it while adding it may become very thin consistency.
• If you do not have pressure cooker or wanted to do it in the old method just add some water to a big pot and tie a wet cloth on top of it and keep these kudumulu on it and cook them on stove for 10-15mins.
• Some people do the same procedure with rice flour which is known as undrallu.

Aardhi

Soya Beans Egg Masala Curry

This is a very simple and healthy recipe. Both eggs and soya beans are very good source of protein. Soybeans are considered to be a source of complete protein. A complete protein is one that contains significant amounts of all the essential amino acids that must be provided to the human body because of the body's inability to synthesize them. For this reason, soy is a good source of protein, amongst many others, for vegetarians and vegans or for people who want to reduce the amount of meat they eat.

Getting bored with routine way of cooking egg made me explore this different combination which is a big hit in our home as it is very tasty and healthy as well. So it is very much enjoyable not only by adults but also by kids. It is one way of giving them healthy meal in a different colorful way. So lets start with the ingredients:....

Ingredients:

Eggs : 3

Soya Beans - 1cup (soak overnight)
Onions - 2 medium size
Oil -2tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste,GGP- 2tsp
Mustard seeds, Jeera, Urad dal - 1tsp each
Green chillis - 3
Chilli Powder - 1 1/2tsp
Curry Leaves - few
ఉప్పు తగినంత , Salt to taste
Turmeric - pinch
Dhaniya Jeera Powder - 2tsp
Garam Masala - 1tsp

Procedure:

1. Soak the soya beans overnight and pressure cook it with little oil and salt for 3whistles and keep aside.
2. Boil eggs and peel the shell and put some holes with the fork or toothpick to avoid bursting while frying.
3. Now in little oil add these eggs and little chilli powder and salt in it and fry evenly on all sides till it is brown in color and keep aside.
4. Heat the pan, add the remaining oil and in it add mustard seeds, jeera, urad dal and fry for 2 mins and add the GGP to it and fry for 1min.
5. Now add finely chopped onions, green chillis, curry leaves and fry till they are lightly brown.
6. Add the cooked soya beans(if there is any water left when cooking these beans add it along with water) and cook for 2 mins of there is no water. Else cook till all the water goes away. 
7. Lightly spice it up with garam masala and dhaniya jeera powder. 
8. Lastly add the fried eggs and mix well with the curry and serve it with rice.

Hint:

Vegans can make this dish by just skipping the 2nd and last points which also very tasty and of course healthy.

Simple Prawn Biryani Authentic Andhra Style

I always have the habit of tasting prawn biryani in restaurants or in some parties but have never tried at home. But i remember that my mom use to make prawn biryani very frequently back home but unfortunately at that time i am not in a habit of eating prawns. But people use to say that it is quite yummy and i am missing something that my mom use to make. So when i came here in US i remember my mom, when i first wanted to make this rice for my dear hubby to surprise him as prawns is one of his favorite.

So at last i got the recipe that i have been missing all these days from my mom which is very quick and easy, though tasty. Undoubtedly, anyone can say that the best taste that we ever eat in our life is the one that is made by our loving mom where we wont get that taste even if we tried it for years...May be it wont be the exact taste what my mom use to make but i tried my level best to reach it as the recipe i am posting here is from my mom.

Here it goes.....

Prawn Biryani...http://gayathriraj.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

Prawns - 2lb
Biryani Rice - 2cups, soaked for half an hour
Oil - 4tsp
Tomato - 2, big
Onions - 1
Green Chillis - 6 or more (depending in you taste as we wont be adding any chilli powder to it)
Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch
Cloves - 7
Biryani Leaf - 2
Chilli powder, salt and turmeric for marination of prawns depending on your preference.
Ginger Garlic Paste(GGP) - 3tsp
Pudhina - for taste
Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Firstly marinate the prawns in chilli powder, turmeric and salt for half an hour.
• In a cooking pan, add 2tsp oil and add all the masala items followed by onions, chillis and GGP.
• Now fry them till the raw smell goes and add the tomatoes, let them cook till they are smooth.
• Add the prawns to it and keep the lid.
• Now lot of water will be coming out from the prawns and let all the water goes away.
• Add the soaked rice, mix well along with the prawns and fry for 3 to 5 mins.
• Add the water to it, salt to taste and keep the lid and cook the rice on medium flame(or you can pressure cook it for 3whistles). When it is half way add the pudhina on the top and close the lid.
• Serve it hot with raitha.

Tip:

1.If you want to prepare it faster then you can separately cook the prawns in another pan till they are dry.
This will not only quicken the process but also reduce the smell that comes out from prawns which many people won't like it.
Generally i follow this process as i am a bit allergic to the smell of prawns.
2. You can add any of your own spices and masala when the prawns are cooking for added taste.

Egg Nuvvula Podi Curry

http://gayathriraj.blogspot.com

Ingredients:

Eggs : 4 (boiled)
Onions - 1, finely chopped
Oil - 2tbsp
Popu (Tadka)- 1tsp
Green Chillis - 2
Red Chilli Powder - 1tsp
Dhaniya  Powder - 1tsp
Sesame Powder/Nuvvula Podi - 4tsp
Pachi Kobbari, Coconut powder(grated)- 2tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste(GGP) - 1tsp
Coriander - for garnishing
Curry leaves - 5 chopped finely
Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Cut the boiled eggs into pieces (bite size pieces) and keep aside.
• Now heat oil in the cooking pan, add the popu and curry leaves and fry for 2 mins.
• Add onions and green chillis, salt and fry till translucent. 
• Add GGP, dhaniya powder, grated coconut and fry for 2mins till the raw smell goes.
• Now add the nuvvula podi and add little water for the gravy and cook all these ingredients for 3mins.
• When oil is started oozing out add the cut egg pieces and mix it slowly with the gravy till it is coated thoroughly to the eggs. 
• Close the lid and cook it for 2 mins and finish it off with coriander garnishing and serve with roti's or rice.

Tamarind Rice/ Pulihora

Ingredients:

Rice - 1cup

Tamarind - 1 lemon size ball, soaked and take the pulp

Mustard Seeds - 1tsp

Urad dal - 1tsp

Chana dal - 2tsp

Groundnuts - as per taste, i took 1tbsp

Cashews - as per taste

Turmeric powder - 1tsp

Green CHillis - 4

Red Chillis - 3

Ginger - 1inch piece

Oil - 3tsp

Curry leaves - 1stem

Hing/ Asafoetida- pinch

Procedure :

- First cook rice with some turmeric and 1tsp oil in it. Now take it in a bowl and Let it cool for half an hour so that the grains are not sticked together.

- Now heat oil in a pan , add mustard seeds and when they strt spluttering add urad dal, chana dal, ground nuts, cashews ,red chillis and when ground nuts and cashews turn light brown (make sure that they are not blackened) add some hing, salt, green chillis, ginger and saute for a minute. 

- Then add the tamarind paste and let it cook for 5 mins.

- When it gets thickened and oil comes out of the sides switch of the flame and take aside.

- When it is little warmer add this to the rice and mix well. (We can prepare this paste and store in refrigerator and mix it when we need to prepare pulihora anytime with ease)

- Adjust salt if needed and serve with any veggie curry or dal.

Tip: 

1. If tamarind is a bit less then you can substitute it with some lemon juice too.

2. This rice will be good for 2 to 3 days without storing it in fridge. So this is best for packing during travel time too.

Paneer Masala Roti/ Chapati

Ingredients:-
Wheat Flour - 1cup
Paneer - 1/2 cup (grated)
Onions - 1/4
Chillis - 1
Chilli powder - 2tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1tsp
Oil - 1tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Oil/ Ghee - for frying the rotis

Procedure:-

• Firstly grate the paneer and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and to it add the jeera, urad dal and fry for 2 mins.
• Now add the onions, chillis and fry til they become soft.
• Add the grated paneer, salt, chilli powder mix well and fry for 5 mins. Now when the paneer slightly turns brown colour switch off the flame and keep it aside.
• Take a bowl and to it add the flour, little salt and this paneer mix.
• Mix it well till the paneer is evenly distributed over the flour.
• Now add little milk at a time and prepare a dough like chapati dough and divide into equal parts and make balls of lemon size and keep it aside.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly.
• On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like chapati.
• Now put the chapati on the heated pan and cook till little brown color on both the sides.
• Continue the same with the remaining dough and serve it with some raitha or curry.