Herbed vegetable risotto

Ingredients:

For the rice:
1½ cup cooked Rice
2 tbsps Butter
2 cloves Garlic chopped
2 Spring onions chopped
¼ cup Tomatoes chopped
½ cup Zucchini cubed
Salt and pepper to taste

For the herb sauce:
1 tsp Butter 1 cup White sauce 1 tsp Tabasco 1 tbsp Chopped parsley 1 tbsp Chopped basil Salt to taste

Method:

For the rice:

• Melt the butter and add the garlic and spring onions. Deep-fry for a few minutes.
• Add tomatoes and zucchini. Cook on medium heat until done but still crisp.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.

For the sauce:

• Melt the butter and add the parsley and basil. Cook for a few seconds.
• Add white sauce, Tabasco and salt. Now mix rice, vegetables and the sauce.
• Take out in a serving bowl and serve warm. It can be warmed in the microwave or in an oven.

Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients:

2 cups Rice
2 Onions, sliced
¾ cup Ghee
6-8 Cardamom
5 to 6 Clove
8-10 Black peppercorns
6 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 Green chillies, chopped
½ inch Ginger, crushed
3 Large potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
½ cup Green peas
1 Large tomato, chopped
3 tbsps Fresh coconut, grated
A little yellow colour or saffron
½ cup Milk
½ cup Sliced onions
Cinnamon a few sticks
Bay leaves a few
Salt to taste
6 to 7 Cashew nuts, fried

Method:

• Fry the onions in a little ghee till golden brown. Add half the cardamom, clove, cinnamon, bay leaves, pepper, garlic, chillies and ginger.
• Fry for a minute. Then add one and a half cups of water and salt and boil. Now mix in the potato pieces, green peas and tomatoes.
• Cover and cook till done and a little gravy remains. Mix in the coconut.
• Heat two tablespoons of ghee in another wok. Add the remaining spices and three cups of water. Add rice and salt and cook until done.
• In a thick vessel, spread half the rice. Cover with potatoes and green peas with gravy. Spread the remaining rice over it.
• Cover the vessel let it cook for about 10 minutes on a low flame. Heat the remaining ghee and pour over biryani.
• Garnish with golden fried onions and fried cashew nuts. Melt saffron in the milk and pour over the rice.

Spinach pullao

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice
¼ cup onions Chopped
1 cup Spinach Chopped
2 Green chillies
2 tbsp Ghee
1 tsp Cumin seeds
4 to 5 Cashew nuts
2 tbsp Curd
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Make a paste out of the onions, spinach and chillies.
2. Wash the rice and soak for 15 minutes.
3. Melt the ghee in a wok. Fry the cashew nuts till light golden.
4. Remove from the ghee and keep aside to garnish.
5. Add cumin seed to the remaining ghee and let it fry till dark brown. Add the spinach paste and Fry for about 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Drain the rice and add to the paste. Cook for a few minutes. Add two cups of hot water and salt.
7. Cover and let it cook on medium heat. Mix the curd.
8. Garnish with cashew nuts and serve hot.

Kappa puzhukku

Ingredients:

1 kg Tapioca (good soft variety)
½ tsp Saunf
1 tsp Chilli powder
4 to 5 Curry leaves
1 cup Grated coconut
2 cloves Garlic
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Method:

Peel the tapioca and cut into big pieces. Pressure cook with two cups of water and cook till soft (for about five minutes).
Drain the water keeping a little water with the tapioca. Add the chilli, turmeric and salt to taste. Mash till smooth.
Grind the coconut with saunf and garlic to a paste. Add to the mashed tapioca. Add curry leaves. Boil for a few seconds and remove. If the puzukku is too thick add a little more water and make it semi-solid. Serve with hot.

Kappa pakkoda

Ingredients:

½ kg Tapioca
3 Green chillies (chopped)
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
1 Big onion (chopped)
½ cup Rice flour
½ tbsp Chilli powder
2 to 3 Curry leaves (chopped)
Salt to taste
oil for frying.

Method:

1. Peel and grate the tapioca for the puttu. Remove from the water and drain. Add all the ingredients except the oil.
2. Mix till blended. Heat the oil. Take a little batter in your hands and sprinkle it with your fingers like pakkodas in the hot oil. Fry till crisp.
3. Remove to a strainer and drain the oil.
4. Seve hot with tea/coffee.

Kappa Puttu

Ingredients:
1/2 kg Tapioca (soft variety without much strings)
1 Coconut (grated)
Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and peel the tapioca. Grate into a dish with water. Strain and press it to remove the water completely. Add a pinch of salt and mix.
• Take a puttu vessel, pour some water (it should fill only half the vessel) and boil. Take the Puttu Kutti (mould), put a handful of grated coconut and two handfuls of grated tapioca on the coconut.
• Repeat till the kutti is full. The last layer should be of coconut.
• Keep this in the vessel with boiling water.
• Cover and cook till the steam comes out. Keep for few seconds more.
• Remove the kutti from the vessel. Remove the contents to a plate from the kutti with the help of a chappati roller.
• Serve hot with banana and sugar or with any curry.