Dahi bhaat (curd rice)

Well, after the BBQ in the afternoon, we were too full to have any good appetite for the dinner.
So my friend suggested we make curd rice which has a soothing effect on the stomach.

Ingredients:
1 cup of white rice
2 chopped green chillies
1 and half cup of curds or plain yogurt
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of ghee or melted butter
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
2 tablespoon moong dal (split pigeon peas)
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
3-4 curry leaves
Salt to taste
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro leaves

Method:
1. Cook the rice with 2 and half cups of water
2. For seasoning, heat ghee in a pan
3. Add mustard and cumin seeds and cook until the seeds splutter
4. Add green chillies, curry leaves, ginger paste and moong dal and cook for 2 minutes
5. In a working bowl, add the cooked rice and loosen it with your fingers
6. Add the seasoning, yogurt, milk and salt and mix well
7. Garnish with cilantro

Serve with pickles, roasted udid papads

BBQ day, coleslaw salad

Had a wonderful BBQ at my place with our close friends.
Being a vegetarian, I 'Googled' for salad that goes with the BBQ party. And as you might have guessed, coleslaw it is. After a good BBQ outside in a slight colder but a pleasant afternoon, something sparked us to dance in our apartment. It was more of a jumping than dancing. It was fun and wild until our neighbor who lives below rang our door bell. You can guess the rest of it. None the less it was a fun filled day!

Well getting back to business.

Ingredients:
2 cups of finely shredded green cabbage
1 cup of minced red onion
1 cup of grated carrot
2 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoon buttermilk
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of ground pepper
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a salad bowl
2. Refrigerate it for couple of hours before use

Ain't that simple? Well I have to admit that I didn't have the time to refrigerate the salad, but it still was yummy!

Methi rice (Fenugreek rice)

One of my good friends gave me this recipe. I make this dish very often for my husband's lunch box.

Sometimes I use spinach instead of methi.

Ingredients:

2 bunches of Fenugreek leaves

1 cup of  basmati rice

1 small onion chopped

1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

3 whole dried cloves

5 whole black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 and 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoon oil for seasoning

Salt to taste

2 and 1/2 cups of water

Preparation:
Pick the green leaves of fenugreek along with tender stems, wash and drain the water

Method:

1. Wash rice with water and drain

2. Add oil to a pan

3. Once the oil gets heated, add cloves, pepper and bay leaf

4. Cook for a minute until the ingredients change their color

5. Now add chopped onions and cook for about a minute

6. Add ginger-garlic paste, and cook until the onion turn pink, also make sure that ginger garlic paste doesn't get burnt
8. Add fenugreek leaves, garam masala and stir

9. Add rice and stir 

10. Now add water and salt

11. Cook the rice on medium flame without covering, until the water is evaporated

12. Now cover the pan and cook until the rice is soft enough to eat

Serve with raita or plain yogurt.

Variation: You can use chopped spinach instead of methi leaves

Methichi bhaaji (fenugreek curry)

This is one of my favorite curries. I love the light bitter taste of it.
The recipe below serves 3
Ingredients:
1/2 cup split moong dal (pigeon peas) soaked in water for 15 mins
3 bunches of Fenugreek
2-3 cloves of garlic crushed or chopped
2 Thai chillies chopped
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder

Method:
1. Pick the green leaves of fenugreek, wash and drain the water

2. Heat oil in a pan
3. Add cumin seeds and stir it intermittently until the seeds turn light brown
4. Add chopped chillies and garlic to the pan and stir intermittently so that the mixture doesn't stick to the pan
5. Once the garlic turns to light brown color, add soaked and drained moong dal and cook for about 2 mins
6. Now add salt and turmeric powder and stir
7. Add the fenugreek leaves and mix well

8. Cover the pan and cook until the moong dal is softened

Serve the curry with rice or roti.

Variation: You may use toor dal instead of moong dal. Toor dal are little harder, so soak them for about 30 mins.