Thengai paal sadam / Rice cooked in coconut milk

Thengai paal sadam (Thengai paal - Coconut Milk; sadam - Rice ) is my most favorite recipe that is often made in my family and also in my extended family and is a must served recipe for guests. This looks simple but flavorful and goes with both vegetarian and non vegetarian curries; that is its specialty.

This is very easy to prepare once extracting of coconut milk is done. I made this recipe once with the store bought coconut milk. But I find it not much tasty as made with home made coconut milk. Also this tastes much better when prepared in Jeeraga samba rice to basmati or raw rice.

My Mom usually prepares this along with a rich and thick tomato gravy with all the vegetables added and without adding coconut. But since I am preparing this just for two of us, I made egg fry instead of gravy as an accompaniment to this rice. Also, coconut oil is traditionally added for recipes like this. But I prefer normal cooking oil as the coconut milk itself brings so much flavor and taste to the recipe. 

This recipe is always made when we all gather together in our aachi's (grand ma) place and they make it in electric rice cooker so that it stays warm for a longer time.  There is no one in our family who hates this rice. On the contrary (but as usual), my hus hates this to the core. So I make this very rare here.

 

Ingredients:

Jeerga samba rice 1.5 cups
Coconut 1/2
Onion (small) 1
Garlic 6-7
Green chillies 3
Fennel seeds few
Cloves few
Bay leaves few
Cinnamon few strips
Coconut Oil / Oil

Preparation:

Extract coconut milk of 2 ¾ cups from half coconut. Cut onions lengthwise. Slit chillies.

Method:

In a pan, heat oil, add fennel seeds, cloves, bay leaves cinnamon, garlic, chillies and onion. Fry till the garlic softens and onions become translucent.

Now add the rice. Fry for a while and then add coconut milk. Now add salt and give it a stir. Allow boiling on a high flame. 

When the water level decreases the rice level (you can see small holes), simmer the flame (the lowest), close the lid and cook for 5 more minutes. Now open the lid. Use a fork to see whether rice is done. If not, cook for some more time.   

If cooking with a pressure cooker, allow one whistle.

Serves: 2
Serve with vegetable curry and raita. I served with raita and egg fry.  

Notes: Add little more spices and cashew nuts to this rice so that it becomes much more tasty and flavorful. 

Linking this recipe to Soul Food Show at Virundhu unna vanga and Walk through Memory lane event started by Gayathri's cook spot and hosted by My Home Mantra this month.
                                                       

How to prepare basic Indian Tea?

You may think when everyone is posting Masala tea recipe, why has she come up with a basic tea recipe? To be very frank, I do not know how to prepare good tea till few months back. Whatever proportions I follow, I end up with many imperfections..!!! I make it watery or milky or thick. I cannot blame myself too because I am from a family who buy tea powders very rare or only for the tea-loving guests. I have had chukku coffee, chukku malli coffee, filter coffee, capuccinno and what not!! We buy coffee powder from the shops that grinds coffee powder and rarely buy instant coffee powder.

I had tea only when it was served in my office. Also, when I become too tired or lazy, I simply like to drink coffee from the machine in the office. So tea was of very less importance in life. On the contrast (but as usual), my Hus is a tea lover. He likes to taste and try different varieties of tea available in the world. Here in Jeddah, we get tea bags and powders from every brand available from all over the world. I had to invest much time in finding a way to make better (at least) tea as he has the habit of drinking tea 2-3 times a day.

I searched on internet but nothing gave me a perfect tea recipe that my Hus is looking for though I got to learn different tea recipes and few ideas. At last, after many trial and errors, this recipe is successful and now it has become a regular drink here.

Ingredients:

Tea powder 2.5 tsp (levelled)

Sugar 1 1/4 tsp for a cup

Water 1 whole cup

Fresh Milk 1 whole cup

Cardamom pods 3-4

Preparation:

Slit Cardamom pods.

Method:

In a Pan, heat water and cardamom pods together. When it starts boiling well,  add the tea powder.

When it starts boiling well and lets out nice aroma, (this would take much less time than boiling water), add the milk. (If you need light tea, stop boiling within very few seconds. If you want it strong, boil it for few more minutes and can add up to 3 tsp of tea powder.)

Boil milk as usual. 

Strain. Add sugar and then serve with biscuits of your choice. 

This would serve two with 3/4 cups of tea. The cardamom pods lets out great aroma and gives nice flavor to the tea. I feel a little more sugar (than needed for a coffee )adds much more taste to the tea.

Ragi Dosa

Its been a long since I made recipes with Ragi. My naughty boy makes already tired me to much more tired. I was just preparing only regular recipes and didn't spend time on energy foods. Now that I am okay in health and started preparing healthy recipes. I started with quite easy and readily available Ragi flour. I feel the  easiest way to include Ragi in our diet is with Ragi Dosa. It is simple to prepare and need not compensate on tastiness.  

Ingredients:

Dosa batter
Ragi flour
Salt and water

Method:

Add Ragi flour to Dosa batter. Add little water and salt. Mix well so that no lumps is formed.

Prepare Dosa as we prepare regualar dosa. Serve with Coconut Chutney.

Notes: I used one ladle full of Ragi flour for 4-5 ladle full of Dosa Batter. This information may help beginners. But it purely depends upon your taste buds.

Linking this recipe to Hearty and Healthy event of My culinary Trial Room

Hot and spicy Shrimps Thokku

It has been long since I made Non veg dishes here. As I've recovered from my recent surgery just a few months before, none could force me too.  I hesitate to prepare non veg recipes as I've to prepare veg recipes exclusively for me and that needs lots of work and time. But with shrimps, things become easy and I can prepare them with different twists and with less time and energy, of course I mean cleaned and frozen shrimps.  

Last dinner, I prepared this hot and spicy shrimps thokku as accompaniment to Dosa though I prepared coconut chutney for me. Thokku refers to semi-dry curry, that is, prepared without adding water. This goes well with rice and also with Idli/Dosa.

Ingredients:

Shrimps 400g
Onions - Medium sized - 2
Tomato - Big - 1
Finely chopped Ginger and Garlic 1 tsp each
Cloves 2
Fennel seeds 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon a small stick
Curry leaves few
Oil
Salt

Masala

Dried Red Chillies 2 (I use very hot chillies.)
Peppercorns 3/4 tsp
Coriander seeds 2 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp

Preparation:

Chop Onions and Tomatoes.

Method:

In a pan, fry all the ingredients under Masala individually and keep it in a mixer jar.

In the same pan, heat little oil and add chopped ginger, garlic, onions(1). When they turn translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and salt. Fry until the skin of the tomatoes slightly peels off and the oil separates. Add this to the mixer and  grind it together.

In the same pan, add little more oil and add cloves, cinnamon and fennel seeds. When they turn slightly brown, add the chopped onions (1). When they turn translucent, add the ground mixture. Fry till the raw smell completely goes off. Now add the shrimps and fry for few seconds.

Sprinkle little water and add salt. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes. Heat a drop of oil in tadka pan, add curry leaves. When they start sizzling, pour them into the thokku. This gives a nice aroma to thokku.

Serves: 1-2
Serve with steamed rice or Idli/Dosa.

Linking this to Hearty and Healthy event of My Culinary Trial Room.