Lemon Rice

Lemon rice always comes in handy when I fall short of time to make lunch. Its so quick and easy to make that you never have to think of it in advance. You can always make the lemon mixture and keep it in the refrigerator for weeks. Mix it with rice when you want to to serve. The tangy, fresh taste of lemon is sure to keep you light and fresh. Try this with some spicy side dish like potato or raw banana fry and you sure will love it.

Serves...2 ppl
Serve option... warm

This is what u'll need....

Lemon juice 1/4 cup

Oil 4 tbspn

Peanuts 3 tbspn

Chana dal 2 tbspn

Mustard 1/2 tbspn

Chopped green chillies 1 tbspn

Curry leaves 

Turmeric 1/4 tspn

Salt to taste

Rice 1 cup

Here is the stir....

• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard to it. As soon as it starts cracking toss in chana dal, curry leaves, green chillies and peanuts 
• Fry till the peanuts turn a slight golden color
• Add turmeric, lemon juice and salt 
• Boil for a minute and then turn the heat off. Some people boil the mixture till oil separates, that too tastes the same though, in that case add fried peanuts in the end else they will turn sour. This mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time
• Cook rice with a little salt, oil and let it cool for a while
• Mix required amount of lemon mixture to the rice and blend it well carefully without breaking the rice much. Its ready to be served

Oven Fried Chicken

Chicken fry is always welcome to the table no matter what. It is the simplest to make. Even vegetarian curries need a lot of chopping and working but chicken fry is just to marinate and stir. Thats it and really thats it.... Making it in the oven is on days when I have lots to make.It is just so very easy to make and the chicken baked in oven is very very soft. The flesh just falls off the bone and melts in your mouth.

Serves... 2 ppl 
Serve option... Warm with soup

This is what u'll need....

Chicken 3 thighs
Chilli powder 1 tbspn
Coriander powder 1/2 tbspn
Cumin powder 1/2 tbspn
Garam masala 1/2 tbspn
Lemon juice  1 tbspn
Gg paste 1 tbspn
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tbspn 

Here is the stir....

• Marinate the chicken with all the spices and oil. Keep it in refrigerator for 30 mins 
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil and place the marinated chicken on it
• Drizzle a tbspn of oil on the chickento keep it moist
  
• Put it in the oven and let it cook for 30 mins
• Remove baking sheet from oven and flip the chicken. Drizzle 1 tbspn oil and put it back in the oven for another 20-25 mins
• Serve it hot as an appetizer and everyone is to love it
  

Chicken gravy .. my grandmother style

My grandmother was a very good cook. As a kid I remember the vacations that we used to spend in our native place. It used to be fun. Nine cousins in one place was fun for us but not for elders. My granny used to cook for all of us. She always wanted to do everything by herself and used to cook us real yummy food everyday. Hmmm.. miss her so much. The other day I was telling my hubby stories of my childhood when I got reminded of the chicken gravy that we used to have. Made it that weekend and really felt my granny's presence that day. 

This is what u'll need....

Chicken 2 lbs

Gg paste 1 tbspn

Salt to taste

Shredded coconut 3 tbspn

Onion 1 med

Sambar powder 1 tbspn

Chilli powder 1/2 tbspn

Oil
Coriander leaves for garnish

Here is the stir....

• Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onions to it. Fry till they turn golden brown
• Toss in chicken and fry for 4-5 mins till the chicken is partially cooked
• Add gg paste, turmeric, chicken, sambar powder, chilli powder, salt, water
• Grind coconut and add to the chicken curry
• Cook on slow heat for about 30 mins
• Sprinkle garam masala and coriander leaves before removing from heat
• 
  

Veg Kurma/Korma ... my mil's recipe

Loads of vegetables simmered in a spicy coconut gravy tastes great along with rice,idli,dosa or chapathi.... its none other than our plain old tasty vegetable kurma which we all love. My mom and mil make this in different ways. They taste different and taste great in their own ways. I make in both ways. This recipe here is the one that I have learned from my mil. She makes in taste heavenly every time. I have fallen in love with her simple style of cooking

This recipe takes a little time but yes its worth waiting . Chop vegetables, grind the spices along with coconut.... then add a few more spices and simmer on low for a while... thats it the gravy should be ready. We make it very often in our home
  

Rajma curry

Kidney beans in a spicy gravy are perfect with ghee rice or chapathis or pooris. Have always loved this and never hesitated to make it whenever suggested. I dont make it very spicy but I do make it a little creamy to enjoy the smooth taste. Here is a simple recipe for you to enjoy

Serves... 2 ppl 
Serve option... Chapathis or ghee rice

This is what u'll need....

Rajma 1 cup soaked overnight
Onion 1
Tomato 1 
Gg paste 1 tbspn
Chilli powder 1 tspn
Garam masala powder 1 tspn
Coriander powder 1/2 tspn
Cumin powder 1/2 tspn
Heavy cream 3-4 tbspn
Salt to taste 
Oil
Coriander leaves for garnish

Here is the stir....

• Boil rajma with a little and keep aside
• Heat oil in a pan and toss in chopped onions. Follow it with gg paste and salt. Fry till onion turns translucent
• Add chopped tomates,  chilli, garam masala, coriander, cumin powder and cook covered till oil starts separating from the gravy. 
• Mash a handful of rajma and it to gravy. Stir and add the remaining rajma to the pan
• Boil the mixture for a couple of mins and then add heavy cream
• Stir and remove from heat. Garnish with coriander leaves before serving

Sponge dosa or Gundu dosa as we call

[Updated content n pics for this post]

This is a very spongy dosa that is usually made a lot more thicker than the regular dosas. My mom made these last time when we went to India and me and my hubby were just onto eating and eating and eating. We were too much involved in the taste that we did not even realise how many we ate until I could hear my tummy crying and asking me to stop stuffing it to that extent. 

[Updated]
My kids love this dosa and they have named it sponge dosa. It smells awesome and the texture and taste are too good. Our family loves it a lot. Whenever I have some extra cooked rice leftover then I indulge in making these dosas for the next morning. It just takes a few minutes of our time in grinding the ingredient and then all it requires is fermentation

This dosa goes very well with coconut chutney. We make the chutney thinner or more liquidy than the regular chutney. This kind tastes best with sponge dosa. 

Serves perfect for both breakfast and dinner and I am sure everyone will like it

Banana Cake

Banana cake... hearing the name makes my mouth water. Its a moist, soft, delicious, luscious and inviting cake that anyone to have a bite is to like it. Its a favorite in our home and at all our friends. When baking, the room gets filled with a pleasing aroma that gives anyone coming in a hint of a sweet treat waiting for them. I just love the warmth and aroma and taste ... its delectable, its divine :)

Serves... 8-12 servings
Serve option... Can serve with whipped cream

This is what u'll need....

Maida 1 cup
Sugar 3/4 cup
Butter 8 tbspn(1 stick)
Eggs 2
Baking powder 1 tspn
Salt a pinch
Essence/extract 1 tbspn(your choice)
Corasely chopped almonds 5 tbspn
Raisins a handful/less
Bananas 2

Here is the stir....

• Grease a pan and keep aside
• Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl. Blend in eggs and essense to the mixture
• Peel and mash bananas and add to the above
• Pour all the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix till everything is blended wel
• Bake in a preheated oven-350 degrees for about 40-45 mins or until a fork comes out clean
• Cool it and cut into slices to serve

Masala egg

Masala egg is nothing but just egg, masala and salt of course. It might not sound very interesting but believe me it sure tastes great. We love this at home when we opt for a spicy side dish for dal chaval or lemon rice etc

Serves... 2 ppl 
Serve option... Hot rice and dal

This is what u'll need....

Eggs 3
Sambar powder 1 tspn
Salt to taste
Oil

Here is the stir....

• Boil eggs and take the shell off. Slice each egg into 2, length-wise, and keep aside
• In a pan heat a tspn of oil and add sambar powder. Stir for a few seconds till the aroma starts to fill. Add salt followed by 4-5 tbspn of water. Let this boil for a min
• Add the egg halves to the pan, yolk side facing down
• When the water reduces, flip the eggs and turn off the heat in a few secs. Let it sit in the pan for a min before transfering to another bowl
  

Palak dal

Spinach is very good for health and so must add to our weekly menu in some form or other. Palak dal is a version that includes dal and spinach to give a smooth and creamy texture. Just chop everything and toss into the cooker. Finally a tadka is what is needed to finish it off.

Serves... 2 ppl 
Serve option... Hot rice

This is what u'll need....

Palak 1/2 bunch
Tuvar dal 1/4 cup
Onion 1 small
Tomato 1 small 
Green chilli 3
Garlic cloves 2 
Salt to taste
Oil
Mustard seeds 1 tspn
Urad dal 1 tspn

Here is the stir....

• Chop spinach, onions, tomato, green chilli, garlic and toss them into a pressure cooker
• Cook them with little water for 4-5 whistles
• Remove from heat and let it cool a little
• Add salt and put tadka with mustard seeds and urad dal
  

Curd Raitha

Fresh curd raitha is a feast to the eyes and the best side for spicy delicacies. Its generally a must in our house with biryani, kothu parotta, bisi bela bath and much more. We eat it every week and never really tire of it. There are many many versions to this. This one is a simple vegetable raitha with cucumber, onions and tomatoes.

Serves... 2 ppl 
Serve option... With biryani, kothu parotta

This is what u'll need....

Curd 1 cup
Chopped cucumber 1/2 cup
Chopped onion 1/4 cup
Chopped tomato 1/4 cup
Chopped green chillies 2 
Lemon juice 1 tbspn
Salt and pepper to taste
Coriander leaves 2 tbspn 

Here is the stir....

• Toss in all the ingredients into a bowl and give a good stir to blend everything together except coriander leaves. Lemon juice brings out the freshness of all the ingredients
• Can also add a little water if needed
  
• Garnish with chopped coriander and serve it cold
  

Quick egg curry

Egg gravies and curries are delectable. They serve well with rice as well chapathis so always a quick choice when we need a change from vegetables. I used to make this when I was new to my own kitchen and cooking on my own. I had to think of very simple recipes so that I never screwed it up in any way. This is one from that list. Quick, easy and delicious too.

Serves... 2 ppl 
Serve option... Hot rice or chapathis

This is what u'll need....

Eggs 4
Gram flour 1 tbsp
Onion 1 big
Tomato 1 big
Gg paste 1 tbspn 
Green chillies 3
Chilli powder 1 tspn
Sambar powder 1/2 tspn
Pepper powder 1/2 tspn
Salt to taste 
Oil

Here is the stir....

• Heat oil in a pan and add gram flour to it. Stir it for a few seconds till the flour turns golden brown
  
•  Toss in chopped onions, salt and fry till onion becomes translucent
• Add gg paste and cook till its off the raw smell
• Mix in chopped tomatoes, green chillies, chilli powder and sambar powder. Give it a quick stir and cook it covered for 5 minutes stirring occasionally
• Once the mixture is ready add a cup of water to it and bring the gravy to a boil
• Turn the heat down and slowly start breaking open eggs into the gravy. It will drop into the gravy like a lump. Break open remaining eggs in a similar way. Once done, turn heat to medium
  
• Sprinkle a little pepper powder on top of each egg. Cover and cook for couple of mins
• Flip each egg and cook for another min