"Porriyal "/ stir-fried assorted vegetable is a regular feature on the south indian cusine.Porriyal can be made out of variety of vegetables.It is a healthy alternative to deep fried vegetables.Here's one of my favourite porriyal combination.


Porriyal (Stir-fried assorted vegetables)


Ingredients:
Beans-100 gms
Carrot-100 gms
Cabbage-100 gms
Fresh green peas-handfull
Green chillies-1{chopped about 1/2''}
Garlic flake-1 {crushed}
Fresh coconut flower-1/2 cup
Salt-to taste
Mustard-1tsp
Urad dal-1/2 tsp{optional}
Fresh curry leaves-a sprig
Oil- 1 tbsp {for tempering}


Method:
In a skillet add the oil.Add mustard seed,urad dal,curry leaves.When the mustard starts spluttering add the crushed garlic.Saute for 2-3 mins till the raw smell fades.Then add the vegetables(beans,carrot,peas,cabbage).Add green chillies,salt & half of the coconut flower.Pour about 2-3 tbsp of water to this and let it cook.Donot pour a lot of water."Porriyal" tastes best when it is crunchy & not when it is over-cooked so do keep that in mind while adding water to it.Cover the skillet & let the vegetables cook in steam for 5-7mins.Add the remaining coconut flower,blend it in & remove from the stove top.Serve hot with steam rice,rasam/sambar,any vegetable fry/ fried chicken.

Bon appetit !


Cheers,
Deepa

If like me you have fussy eater kids this recipe that I am about to share is sure to make your life much easier :)

Fried rice with an Indianised twist!

Ingredents:

Rice: 2 cups;cooked & let to cool
Spring Onion: 3-4 sprigs;cleaned & chopped finely(the leaves & bulb included)
Mushrooms: 3-4 chopped finely
Coloured capsicums: 1/2 cup-chopped
Beans:1/4 cup chopped
Carrot:1/4 cup chopped
Green peas:1/4 cup boiled
Green chillies:2;deseeded & chopped finely
Tomato:1/2 cup-chopped
Ginger:1/2";crushed
Garlic:2-3 flakes;crushed
Soya sauce: 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp
Tumerc powder: 1/2 tsp
Butter/Oil: 1-1 1/2 tbsp
Salt: to taste

Method:

In a wok(kadai) add oil/butter.Add the chopped spring onion & crushed ginger-garlic.Fry till the raw smell disappears.Add the chopped tomato & green chillies and fry a while (3-5 minutes).Then add the vegetables(beans,capsicum,mushroom,carrot,peas)Now add tumeric powder,garam masala powder & soya sauce.Blend well.Cook till the vegetables are done(but donot over cook !)Add salt.To this add the cooked rice.Blend everything in.Add a dab of butter on top.Serve hot (here I have served it with fried hard boiled eggs;recipe on another post)

Try it out & watch your kids savour it up :)

Happy cooking !

Cheers,
Deepa

Spaghetti in white cheesy sauce

Hi all, hope you had a lovely weekend.I did.It was my son's 2nd birthday last Saturday.We had a small party with family and friends for our lil' guy.My son throughly enjoyed his party.It was such a pleasure watching him enjoy himself :).
Today I am going to share a recipe which is an all time favourite with my kids.

Spaghetti in white cheesy sauce!

Ingredients:
Spaghetti:1 packet (cook as per the instructions given on the packet/carton)
All purpose flour /maida:2 tbsp
Cheese :shredded 1 cup
Florets of broccoli:1/2 cup
Sliced mushrooms:1/2 cup
Garlic: 4 flakes (finely chopped)
Onion:1/2 medium sized onion (finely chopped)
Butter:1 tbsp
Boiled milk: 2 cups
Salt: to taste
Black pepper :1 tsp (crushed freshly)
Oregano, basil:1 tsp

Method:
Boil about 2 cups of water add broccoli and mushroom and a little salt.Cook for 3-5 minutes(ensure it does not over cook and become soggy).Strain the excess water and keep it aside.
Cook the spaghetti as per the instructions on the packet/carton and keep it aside.
For preparing white sauce heat butter in a pan add garlic and onion and saute till onion turns translucent.
Add the all purpose flour  and saute for about a minute(be on your guard not to let it burn).Now add milk and stir till  it blends into a smooth consistency.Also make sure to avoid any lump formation.When it starts thickening add salt,oregano,basil,pepper.Now add the boiled vegetables and the cooked spaghetti.Top it up with the shredded cheese.Mix  and blend all the  ingredients together.Garnish with a sprig of fresh cilantro/coriander.Serve hot.

This is such a lovely variation to its spicy counter-part (recipe later :))

Do let me know how it turned out for you.


Have an awesome day !


Cheers,
Deepa