Foodie Workz

Celery was one such vegetable where I was always tempted to add it my grocery cart but was at loss of ideas as to how to use it in the kitchen.   I  used to see that it was a staple in soups American restaurants and served quite often on salad platters in parties.  I have also used the celery for such dishes.   But how many kids would ever go for the celery given its fibrous and stringy texture?  But over the years I have learnt to use it abundantly in my traditional dishes as well.  I have been using it in sambars and oflate used it in these recipes Celery Paratha(to be posted),  Celery Coriander Thokku  and Celery and Peanut Chutney(to be posted). Thus was born the idea of a nice tangy Celery Rice combined with some ground tomatoes.  It can also be made into pulao by including onions and whole garam masala. 3/4 cup finely chopped celery 1 big tomato 1 long green chilli 1 inch ginger piece 1 c...

Here I am attempting this pulao for the first time.  This is a preparation that I cam up on my own. 4 ounces cubed pumpkin pieces(or butternut squash which is what I used) 1/2 cup each of chopped carrots, peas, capsicum and potato 1 cup basmati rice 4-5 cloves of garlic 2-3 green chillies 1/8tsp red chilli powder(optional) 1.5 inch ginger piece few coriander leaves cumin seeds salt to taste 1 tsp pav bhaji powder( or more according to taste) Puree the pumpkin  with ginger, green chillies, garlic and coriander leaves.  Soak the rice for 1/2 hr and then drain.  Roast the rice in little ghee or oil until you get a nice aroma.  Take a tbsp of oil, splutter the cumin and add the puree.  Let this fry for about 2 minutes.  Add the vegetables, salt and chilli powder and stir this again 2 more minutes.  Add 1and 3/4cups to 2 cups of water and let this come to a boil.  Let it boil for almost five minutes.  Transfer this to...

After making those yummy vadas, I was still left with some more sprouts that I decided to use it up for my dinner preparation.  Just made this simple pulao using these and some bell peppers.... 1 cup basmati rice 1 cup sprouted matki or moth beans 1 medium ripe tomato 1 small onion 1 small yellow capsicum 1 tsp paprika powder 3 garlic cloves small piece of ginger pinch of turmeric powder 1/2-1 tsp pav bhaji powder(this gives a different flavor to the dish...I have added this to some of my quick subzis using pumpkin or zucchini) Cook the basmati rice and let it cool. Heat up a tablespoon of oil and splutter the cumin seeds.  Add the onions along with the garlic and ginger and saute till they are translucent.  Add the capsicum and do a quick saute before adding the tomatoes.  Add   all the powders and little bit of salt and cook the tomatoes for a minute or two before adding the sprouts.  After this cook for further five minutes.  Ad...

Pulao is a very favorite dish among young and old as it works as a quite fulfilling one pot meal.  Yesterday I made this Beetroot Pulao for dinner and dal makhani(without the makhan).  The pulao is quite a simple dish using chopped beetroots instead of the regular carrots and the rest being the same. Ingredients for the pulao are as follows 1 cup basmati rice soaked for about 20 minutes a handful of chopped beetroot and potatoes a handful of frozen beans and peas 1/2 a small onion chopped 2 cloves of garlic, 1 long green chili and 1 inch piece ginger all finely chopped 4 cloves, small piece of cinnamon and a pinch of elaichi powder cumin seeds for seasoning Take 3 tsp of oil and splutter the cumin seeds when it is hot.  Add all the whole masalas and immediately add the onions.  Saute them for a couple of minutes and add the chopped ginger, garlic and green chili.  Follow it with the drained rice and fry till you get the aroma.  Add all the v...

Hi Friends, I am back after this wonderful break from the monotony and decided to do something quick for my lunch while I was jet lagged.  I found some carrots lying in my refrigerator and cooked up this rice dish. It was such a wonderful coincidence as the Healthy Lunch Box Ideas with the Carrot theme was going on as well.  This also put me back on track of food blogging which I probably would have procrastinated for another month.   It is no wonder this recipe goes to Healthy Lunchbox Ideas (HLI) event with CARROTS as the theme at  Sizzling Tastebuds . 3/4 cup sona masoori rice 2 medium size carrots 1 small potato peeled and cut into small pieces handful of frozen peas 1 medium size onion chopped fine 1.5 tbsp ground roasted peanuts 1" long cinnamon stick 3 cloves 5 tsp oil salt to taste Spice Powder 1 tsp Coriander seeds 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 1 long red chilli 3 tsp grated coconut Roast the spice powder ingredients in little oil....

1/4 cup sona masoori rice cooked and cooled 1 green apple peeled, cored and grated 1 green chili slit 1 small red chili 1 tsp ginger grated 2 tbsp roasted peanuts 1 tsp chana dal soaked curry leaves few drops of lemon juice chili powder as per taste salt to taste small pinch of hing and turmeric Soak the chana dal for half an hour and drain.  Take some oil in a pan and splutter the mustard and add the chana.  Let the water be absorbed and the dal begin to change color.  Add the ginger, green chili, red chili, curry leaves, hing and turmeric.  Add the peanuts and give a stir.  Add the chili powder and immediately add the grated green apple.  Add a pinch of salt and stir till the apple becomes soft.  Mix this with the cooled rice and add salt and lemon juice according to taste.  This rice is nice for a change!!!!

This dish is based on Tarla Dalals Green Pulao which has been featured in one of her books called the "Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking".  This is meant to be a very hot and spicy rice with lots of coriander.  But since I like my flavors to be mild,  I have always altered the paste ingredients to my needs and also used  the vegetables which are available.   The original recipe calls for  2onions, (275 gms or 10 oz)cauliflower, (175 gms or 6 oz)peas and (225 gms or 8 oz)small potatoes for a cup of basmati rice and 1 bunch of coriander leaves, 10 cloves of garlic, 1inch ginger piece and 6 green chillies.  Here is how I did this pulao today which I am sending to Kirthi's   Herbs and Flowers in my platter- Coriander    event originally announced at PJ's   seduce your Tastebuds . 1 cup of Basmati rice 50 gms each of chopped carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, beans, peas 1" cinnamon stick 2 cloves 2 cardamom 1 bay leaf 1/2 cup of oni...

1 cup Basmati rice 1 big bunch of methi leaves 1/2 of a medium to big size onion 1 tomato medium size 3/4 cup frozen peas 3 garlic cloves small piece of ginger 1 green chilli 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 1/2 tsp sambar or rasam powder Whole garam masala - 2 cloves, 1 cardamom, 1 inch piece of cinnamon and 1 bay leaf 1-2 tbsp oil Water 21/2 cups Soak the basmati rice for about 15 minutes. Wash and drain. Wash the methi leaves and chop it roughly. Chop the onions into fine pieces. Grate the green chillies, ginger and garlic. Take oil in a pan. Season cumin seeds and all the whole masala. Add the onions, green chilli, ginger and garlic. Saute it for about 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and stir it until the moisture is gone. Add the frozen peas and the methi leaves and keep stirring continuously on medium high for few more minutes. Add water, sambar/rasam powder,salt, turmeric powder and let it come to a boil. Add the tomatoes to the cooking rice. Cover and let it simmer...

Medium size Cauliflower 1 cup Rice Seasoning - Mustard(3/4 tsp), Urad Dal(1tsp) and few curry leaves Salt to taste Oil 2 tbsp Spice Powder Coriander seeds 3 tsp Chana dal 2 tsp Red chillies long variety 2 nos Fresh or Dry grated coconut 3 tsp(optional) To prepare the spice powder roast the ingredients in the order given in half a teaspoon of oil. Remove off the stove once the coconut changes color. Let it cool and grind it into a coarse powder. I never bother to use coconut as this rice still tastes good carrying the flavor of the roasted seeds and dals. Cook the rice separately making sure that it does not turn mushy. Let it cool. There are three ways to get the cauliflower ready. You can chop them into very tiny pieces or cut into big chunks to process it in a food processor or you can grate it on the big hole of the grater. The last one is of course the most easiest and less time consuming. I had to use the third method today as I was running out of time. Ho...

10 gms milled flax seed 40 gms white sesame seeds 2 redchillies Seasoning: Mustard, Urad dal, red chillies, green chillies, coconut, curry leaves, hing and salt . Roast the flax seeds till you get a nice aroma. Roast the sesame seeds till they all splutter and change into a nice brown colour. Roast the broken red chillies separately. Grind these into a fine powder and keep aside. Cook a cup of sona masoori rice with little less water than usual so that the rice does not get mushy. Let it cool. Prepare the seasoning. Take about 2 tbsp of oil and roast the ingredients in the order given. Roast until the coconut slightly changes color. Keep a small amount of rice aside and then combine the powder and the seasonings with the rest of the rice along with the required amount of salt. Add some more oil or ghee and check for salt. If needed, add the rest of the cooked rice as well. Since I am a health conscious person, I try to keep the oil and coconut to minimal quantit...