Festival food menu

1. koosambri
2. raw mango rice
3. rice kheer
4. vada
5. curd rice
6. rasam
7. parapp usli

High Protein Spaghetti

 Ingredients 

Edamame pasta - 100gm

Meatless Meatballs - 6

Pepper

Marinara Sauce 

Method

Cook pasta for 10 min in lot of water and then drain the water. 

Roast meatless meatballs in air fryer

Mix in marinara sauce and add freshly ground pepper

Top it with meatballs

Non-Indian Menu

Menu #1 - Italian

Bruschetta
Pesto Pasta
Quinoa Salad
Tiramisu

Menu #2 - Italian

Minestrone Soup
Quinoa Salad 
Lavash Pizza
Dessert

Simple Menu

Indian Menu

Menu#1

Grilled Panneer
Bisibelebath
Boondi
Channa Salad
Yogurt Rice
 Rice Kheer

Menu #2

Poori
Sagu
Channa Salad
Rasam Rice
Rice Kheer

Menu #3

Sambhar
Rasam
Parappu Usli
Rice Kheer
Kosambri
Yogurt

Kootu Paste

This Kootu paste can be used with chow chow/ cabbage/ mix vegetables / white pumpkin

Ingredients

2 tbsp Coconut

2 tbsp jeera, 

1 Red Chilli (Bedige)

1 Green Chili(optional)

Handful of coriander leaves

1 tbsp sambhar podi

Moong dal

 

Grind with water

Rasam Powder

Ingredients

2 tbsp jeera seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
4 red chillied(Byadige)
1 tbsp black pepper
handful of curry leaves
4 garlic cloves(according to taste)

Roast and Grind

Instant Pot - Sambhar

Ingredients

Tempering -oil,hing, mustard seeds, methi seeds, 3 red chillies, curry leaves

Toor Dal - 3/4 cup

Sambhar powder - 2 tablespoons (according to taste)

Tomato - 3 large OR tamarind water

Onion - 1 large cut into large chunks

Drumsticks - cut into medium sized lenght

Carrot - 1

Potato - 1

5 cups water

Method: 

Turn on InstantPot to SAUTE mode.

Add oil and add the tempering. 

Add onion and sautee for 2 minutes
Add Toor Dal with 5 cups of water and let it cook for 5 minutes. Prep the vegetables while the dal is cooking.  

Add  tomatoes and vegetables

Add sambhar powder and salt

Turn vent on the lid to sealed and turn on manual mode. set to high  and 7 minutes.Natural Release after that. 

Mix the sambhar and then Garnish with coriander leaves

Instant Pot - Vegetable Pulav

Ingredients
Basmati Rice -  1 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 big
Bay leaves, 1 stick of cinnamon, green chillies, cloves 3, star anise 2
Ginger Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Vegetables - Carrots, peas, potato, Tuvar lilva beans - 2 cups
Pulav Masala or coriander  + chilli powder

Method
 1. On low heat sauté oil, a few bay leaves,  cinnamon,  green chilis,
2.Add sliced onions (1 medium).
3. Cook 1-2 mins then add  mixed veggies. 
4. Sauté 30 seconds and add uncooked Basamati rice 1.5 cups & 2.25 cups water.
5.Add salt and 1 teaspoon of pulav masala or coriander + chilli powder
6.Closed on seal and manual 3 min then natural release.

Instant Pot - Paneer Pulav

Ingredients
Paneer - 1 large cube
Onion - 1 large, cut into thin slices
Green chillies - 2
Cashews
Oil/Ghee
Ginger/Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Frozen peas - handful
Basamati rice - 1 1/2 cups


Method

1.Turn IP on sauté mode. Add oil and some ghee (I did a spoon of coconut oil and half a spoon ghee), 2.Fry some broken cashews and when they turn brown add the onions and green chillies.
3.Continue to sauté and once they are cooked add some ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, garam masala, salt, add the paneer cubes, handful of frozen peas (optional) and 1.5 cups basmati rice to this and sauté for about 2 minutes.
4.Turn off sauté, add 2 cups of water (u can increase it if u want it a bit more mushy)
5.Close the lid, switch to manual mode for 3 mins and then NR.
6.When done , give a quick fluff with a fork. Add half a spoon of ghee and garnish with coriander leaves.
7.Serve it with onion raita

Instant Pot : Bisebelebaath

Ingredients
Onions -1 (red or pearl onions)
Sambhar powder - 1/2 tsp
Bisibelebath powder - 2 tbsp
Tempering - oil, mustard seeds, jeera, hing, curry leaves
Vegetables - Carrots, beans, peas, drumsticks, potatoes - 2 cups
Rice -  1 cup
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Tomatoes - 4 or Tamarind paste / tamarind water.
Peanutes or cashewnuts (optional)


Method
1.Turn on IP in sauté mode, add oil, add mustard seeds and when they sputter add jeera.
2.Add onions .When the onions are done, add salt, bisibelebaath masala, sambaar powder and all the vegetables, rice and toor daal .
3.Add water - 4 cups(for each cup of rice, add 4 cups of water), tamarind paste/tomatoe.
4.Cancel sauté, close lid , set in manual mode 15 mins, Natural Release(NR).
5.Add ghee and garnish with peanuts or cashew nuts.

Instant Pot - Chow Chow Kootu

Ingredients 
Toor Dal - 1/4 cup
Moog Dal -1/2 cup
Sambhar powder / Kootu Masala
Chow Chow - 2
For tempering - oil/ghee , mustard, hing, urad dal and channa dal.

Method
1.Turn on sauté mode, add oil /ghee, do tempering with mustard, urad daal and channa daal, hing, curry leaves . 
2. Add Chow Chow, moong daal ,toor daal , salt, sambaar podi or masala that you grind for kootu.
3.Add water barely to cover or more depending on the thickness you like kootu to be. 
4. Set IP to Manual, Vent closed, 5 min. 
5. Quick release
 
You can also optionally add onions to your kootu if you like after the tadka. Also can do this with different veggies like spinach, pumpkin etc. Manual cooking time would be 5-8 mins depending on the veggie you use.

InstantPot - Rice Kheer

Ingredients :

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Whole milk - 12 cups
Sugar - 3 cups (adjust according to your taste)
Cashews /Almonds , Raisins - roasted in ghee
Saffron - 1/4th tsp (optional)
Cardamom
Ghee - 2 tablespoons

Method

Wash and rinse the rice.
Add rice and milk into IP .  
Set IP in manual mode for 30 mins with vent sealed. When it's done , let is release naturally - (NR) After opening the IP, set it in sautee mode and add sugar and ghee. Cook it till the sugar dissolves and you have the desired consistenty. 
Garnish with cashews, raisins, cardamom and saffron. 
If the kheer is thick add some boiled milk to it. You could also add sugar at the start of the process.

Bendekayi Huli

I was craving for mom's bendekayi huli since my return from India. I have tried this dish couple of times before but this time it came close to what she cooks.

Ingredients

Okra - 1 lb. Cut into 1inch pieces
Tomato - 1
Onion  - 1 small
Coriander - 5 sprigs
Garlic - 2 cloves
Sambhar powder - 2 tsps
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
Shredded coconut - 2 tblsp
Oil - 2 tblsp
Mustard
Curry leaves

To grind :

Tomato
Coriander
Garlic
Sambhar powder
Shredded coconut
1/2 onion

Method

Heat oil in a vessel and fry the okra for 10 min and keep it aside.
Heat oil and temper the oil with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Add 1/2 onion cut into tiny pieces and fry it slightly.
Add the ground paste above and fry it for 5 more minutes
Add tamarind water and salt. Let the mixture boil for 10 minutes.
Add okra and cook for 10 more min. You can cook this curry to the consistency required. I was planning to eat this with ragi mudde , so I made it a little watery.You can eat this curry with ragi mudde, rice or chapathi.

Beans Paruppu-ussili

This is one of my favorite side dish.  I was introduced to this side dish by my husband. Its a typical Iyengar  specialty that goes very well with hot rasam or More Kohazambhu. I love to cook this during festival times.
Paruppu-ussili is typically cooked with lot of oil but I try to avoid oil as much as possible. Here is my healthy take on the recipe for this delicious dish .

Ingredients


1 cup beans cut into small pieces
4 tbsp Channa Dal
2 red chilli
Pinch of asafoetida

2 tsp oil(gingelly oil preferably)
1/2 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste


Method
Soak Channa Dal in warm water for 2 hours
Drain water completely and grind Channa Dal with red chilli , asafoetida and salt into coarse mixture.Do not add any water while grinding
Microwave this coarse mixture for 10 minutes with little water.
Microwave beans with very little water and salt for 5 min.Ensure that beans is only half cooked.
Heat oil in a vessel.Add mustard and wait for it to splutter.
Add turmeric,beans ,channa dal mixture salt and cook this together for about 10 minutes on high heat
Serve hot with rice or as a side dish.

Set Dosa with Saagu

Lately I have been craving for   food I used to eat during school and college days. I am missing Karnataka cuisine and wish I knew how to cook them as well as my Mom and Aunts do:-).

Yesterday I attempted to make Set Dosa. My mother in law had prepared idli batter and it was a perfect candidate for set dosa as she had added poha in addition to the usualy 4:1 - Rice:Urad dal proportions.

Set dosa brings back memories from college days. 4 fluffy pancake sized dosa's served with butter, saagu and coconut chutney. Going by Bangalore's  by-two culture, I always ordered half set (2 dosas).

Saagu Recipe :

Ingredients:

2-3 cups cubed mixed vegetables (carrots, beans, potatoes, cauliflower)
1 Big onion, finely sliced
few curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
coriander leaves for garnish

For the masala:

1 tbsp grated coconut
small piece ginger
1 tbsp coriander leaves
3-4 green chillis
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1″ cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 1/2 tbsps roasted channa dal

Method :

1.  Heat oil in a vessel, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the onions and curry leaves and saute till transparent.
2 . Add the mixed vegetables and combine well. Add salt and turmeric pwd and cook on medium heat for 3-4 mts. Add one-fourth cup of water if needed. At this point, you can pressure cook the veggies or you can cook them in a vessel with the lid covered.
3.  Once the veggies are half-cooked, add the ground masala paste and combine. Let it cook for 4-5 mts or till the veggies are well cooked.  Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
4.  Serve hot with dosas or puris.

Grilled Paneer

 This is one of my favorite barbeque recipe. It’s simple, easy to make and has a very rich taste. I got the recipe for the marinade from my friend Smita . I made very little variation to the original recipe I got from her. You can also broil paneer if you dont have a grill. I dont have a grill at home, so I broil the paneer at high for about 15 min. I add red,yellow and green bell pepper along with paneer while broiling and this makes the dish so much more colorful and yummm.I add garlic salt instead of normal salt that adds an extra flavor to the marinade.

Ingredients for Paneer Marinade

• Paneer - 250gm cut into small cubes
• Sour yogurt - 2 cups
• Tandoori masala powder - 5 tsps
• Dhania powder - 2 tsps
• Garam masala - 1 tsp
• Chilli powder - depending on tast
• Ginger paste - 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Garlic Salt - 1 tsp

Ingredients for Bell Pepper Marinade

• Grilled barbeque seasonings - 5 tsps
• Olive oil - 2 tsps
• Garlic salt - 1 tsp
• Bamboo sticks  for grilling 
 

Method

Mix all the ingredients for Paneer Marinade . Marinate paneer for at least two hours before grilling. I usually marinate it over night  and the paneer absorbs the masala really well.  Mix all the Bell Pepper marinade about 30 min before grilling. Arrange  the paneer and bell pepper alternatively on the bamboo sticks and grill /broil them for 15 min .

Serve this hot with chutney. I sometimes use the marinade as the chutney (with some tadka) and it tastes very  good .

Methi Pulav

I got this recipe from my mother who is awesome at cooking rice dishes. I wish I could cook my pulav as well as she does. I have cut down the amount of garlic ,spice and ghee from the original recipe to cater to my husband's palate :-).

Ingredients

Rice - 2 cups
Onions - 2 medium sized
Tomato - 1 : diced
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Star anise - 2
Bay leaves - 2
Garlic -  3 cloves
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Green thai chilli - 4
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Methi leaves -1 bunch
Beans - 1 cup cut vertically
Fresh peas - 1/2 cup (optional)
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Vegetable/Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method

• Grind 1 onion and  garlic in a mixer.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil  in a pressure cooker.After the oil is heated ,add cloves,cinnamon,star anise and bay leaves.Wait for about a minute till the oil absorbs the flavor from the spices.
• Add 1 onion cut into small pieces and fry till the onion turns translucent.Add the ground mixture and green chilli and roast it for some more time till the onion smell goes away.
• Add tomato ,veggies ,coriander powder, turmeric ,salt and methi leaves .Fry for some time
• Wash rice and add to the mixture above.Fry this mixture for 5 min.
• Add 4 cups of water(2 cups of water for each cup of rice) and close the pressure cooker.Pressure cook on medium heat till 1 whistle and wait for the pressure cooker to let out the steam.
• Remove the pressure cooker lid, add 2 tsp of ghee and mix the pulav. 

Serve hot with raita or lemon and onion slices.

Veggie Pesto Pasta

The first time I tasted Pesto, I fell in love with it. I have been adding Pesto to lot of my recipes since then.I was inspired by my friend Smita to try this recipe and it has been a huge hit especially with kids.This pasta is extremely easy to cook when you are not making pesto from scratch. I cook this dish when I am pressed for time.I use Pesto sauce from Costco or Trader Joes.You can get as creative as you want  with the veggies and garnishing.I use a traditional mortar and pestle for crushing black pepper and red chilli.

Ingredients

5 tbl spoons of Pesto
1 packet Penne whole wheat pasta
crushed black pepper – according to taste
crushed red chilli flakes  – according to taste – optional
2 zucchini sliced in rounds
Red /green/yellow bell  pepper - I buy a frozen bag from trader joes
2 tbsp sun dried tomatoes - optional
Grated cheese of your choice
1 tsp olive oil or use the oil from pesto
Salt to taste

You can add your choice of veggies. Sometimes I add olives, pine nuts ,cherry tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes.

Method

• Boil whole wheat pasta in water with little salt till its cooked. Drain the  water from the pasta after its boiled and let it cool.

• On a wide pan, add 1 tsp olive oil(I take the oil from pesto bottle) and saute  zucchini  and bell peppers . 

• Add the  cooked pasta, 3 tbl spoon of pesto  and mix them.Let it cook for about 3 min.

• Add crushed black pepper, red chilli flakes and the remaining pesto. Cook for 3 more min.

• Remove from stove. Garnish with grated cheese before serving.

Red Chori masala

Every time I saw these small red beans in the Indian store, I was tempted to try them.I looked for some recipes online and I realized that they are called "red chori" in Hindi and are packed with nutrients.This recipe is my variation of couple of other recipes I found online.It is simple to cook and the end result is very delicious.

Ingredients

1 cup red chori (Azuki beans in English) - its variations like black eyed peas - Thatta payir / Karamani can also be used
1 big onion finely chopped
2 eggplant/brinjal cut into big pieces
2 tomatoes chopped or 1 can of diced tomatoes
2 tsp sambhar powder
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
4-5 curry leaves
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 methi seeds
asafoetida
salt 
2tblsp vegetable oil / olive oil
Method

• Soak 1 cup red chori for 6 hours and pressure cook for 1 whistle.If you have forgotten to soak red chori, no worries, pressure cook it for 3 whistles.

• Drain out the red chori and save the water.This water can be used as a stock for our curry.

• Heat oil in  a vessel and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add curry leaves, asaefotida and methi seeds.After about 30 sec, add onions and garlic and fry till onions turn translucent.

• Add egg plant and fry them for couple of min.

• Add diced tomatoes,salt and sambhar powder. Cook this for about 5 min till tomatoe starts to become a paste.

• Add red chori  to the mixture above .You can add the stock to the mixture depending on  what  consistency you want the gravy to be.Cook this for about 5 min . Ensure that red chori and egg plant is completely cooked .

Serve this hot with roti or rice.

Masala Vada

Masala vada is a South Indian festival specialty. My mom is used to make it on festival evenings with khus khus  kheer.It is  a classic combination of sweet and spice. Usually, the initial batch of vada is made without adding onions and chillies so that it can be used for naivaidhyam. There are lot of variations to this type of vada and here is a recipe that has churned out some really good vada.

Ingredients

1 cup channa dal
1/4 cup rice flour
1 big onion finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped mint leaves - optional
1 tsp red chilli powder
4-5 Thai chilly - add  according to your taste
vegetable oil for deep frying
salt to taste

Method

• Soak the channa dal in warm water for about 1 hour.

• Drain out the water and grind it in a mixer with little salt and  without adding any water.Grind till it becomes a partially coarse paste.  Do not grind it into a smooth paste.

• Mix the above channa dal paste, onions, rice flour,  coriander, mint, chopped green chilli, red chilli powder and salt in a big bowl.
  

• Heat vegetable oil in a kadai at medium heat.

• Take small quantity of the mixture and make small round balls out of it. Flatten the balls on your palm and drop it into the kadai for deep frying.

• If the oil is very hot, the outer part of the vada cooks  faster, so cook in medium heat.Ensure that vada is cooked well inside and has turned brownish red on the outside.

Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.