Just want to say "Hello!" with a simplest radish salad.

My life used to revolve around books, studying and of course "Kitchen!" till last year. But by the end of 2010, I had to move out of home to be on my own and cut myself from mom's kitchen and my cooking experiments. Although, for two months and a half, during my training in Chennai, I was cooking along with a friend and colleague of mine. But after I got relocated to Bangalore, everything came to a stand still with no chance to cook. :(

That is the main reason why this blog looks deserted most of the times. In some time I'll get back to cooking and I wouldn't wait try out newer recipes which I have learnt from different people and also trying out the recipes from cookbooks which I read when I miss cooking will be on my list. :)

As I've already decided to write something, let me post a simple salad which you can make effortlessly. Radish is something I always disliked. It doesn't seem to taste good when its cooked in a sambar, but, a raw radish sliced finely in a salad has won my heart. This salad was introduced to me during the Chennai days by my friend Shruddha. At first, I was taken aback with raw radish being added. Later, I loved it!. We used to make this whenever it was possible. I totally enjoyed those days. I still remember we used to have a walk in a nearby park with pretty swans around. The phase that I miss the most these days.

Ingredients (For a bowl of Salad)

2 medium sized radish washed, peeled and finely sliced
1 medium sized tomato, finely chopped
1 full cup of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
1/2 a lemon's juice
Salt to taste

Mehod

Mix all the ingredients together. Serve with any spicy dish. This is best with biriyani. Or you can just eat it plain.

Happy Cooking :)

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Kosambri / Kusumbri / Kosambari

Good evening again :) For lunch today I had prepared a “Kosambri”. It is yet again another simple recipe.

Kosambri is nothing but an Indian salad. It is mainly done by not using fire. But some of them make Kosambris using fire by adding some amount of seasoning too. There are various kinds of Kosambris i.e. some with mixed vegetables, some with only a single vegetable, some Kosambris are made using sprouts and soaked seeds.

The one which I prepared was too….. simple. Even a kid can do it :)

The method goes as follows

Ingredients (For three servings)

1 large tomato (Chopped very finely)
1 large onion (Chopped very finely)
1 small carrot (Grated)
1 – 2 green chillies (Chopped very finely)
½ Coriander leaves (Finely chopped)
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Method

Mix all the ingredients (except the coriander) in a bowl along with salt and lemon juice.

Mix it well using your hands.
Let the chilly flavor spread throughout.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve this during lunch (With any curry, rice)

There is another way of having it too. You can fry papads and have the papads along with this Kosambri. Spread it on the papad and have it. You can also serve it with potato wafers. :)

Actually there are varieties of ways of having this :) But you can have it only if you prepare it.

Do try this out :) Its too easy and I’m sure these ingredients will be there in everyone’s home :)
So take care :) Till I write :)
Happy cooking :)

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Vegetable pulav / pulao

Good afternoon :)
I prepared vegetable pulav today morning for breakfast. It was the first time I prepared it. I learnt the recipe from Krishnaveni Nalka’s blog. Thank you so much Krishnaveni for sharing the recipe with us. You can find the perfect recipe in her post Vegetable Pulav - Using Home Made Masala

Well I didn’t have three items i.e. Cauliflower, saunf and bay leaf. I used potato in substitute of cauliflower and cumin in place of saunf. Didn’t know what to substitute for bay leaf ;) :D I had ready made ginger and garlic paste, so directly used it :)

Although you can always refer Krishnaveni’s recipe i.e. Vegetable pulav using home made masala I’ll post in the recipe here :) I am enjoying this posting because it is raining outside and I’m typing :) Just love this situation :)

Ingredients (For four servings)

1 ½ cup of rice (I took raw white rice. You can take the better form of rice like basmati, steam or jeera rice)
½ cup grated coconut

Vegetables

1 large carrot
1 medium sized potato (Better to take cauliflower instead of potato)
2 large onions
1 medium sized tomato
4 sticks of beans
¾ cup of peas

Greens

¾ cup of chopped coriander leaves
¾ cup of chopped mint leaves

Spices

1 large green chilly
4-5 garlic pods
1 ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
7-8 black pepper corns
2 inches cinnamon stick broken into two pieces
7-8 cloves
3 cardamom pods
¾ tsp coriander seeds
¾ tsp cumin seeds

8 tbsp cooking oil/ghee (2 tbsp for frying the masala to be ground, 6 tbsp while making the pulav)
Salt to taste
2 ½ to 3 cups/glasses of water

Method
Soak the green peas in water the previous night. Wash and soak rice for about half an hour. Chop all the vegetables and green chillies in whichever style you like.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a vessel. On a small-medium flame add pepper corns, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and stir fry them for 2 minutes on a small-medium flame. Then add 1 chopped onion, green chilies (chopped), garlic pods and ginger-garlic paste and stir fry for 2 minutes. Then add the mint leaves, coriander leaves and chopped tomato. Stir fry for 2 minutes and then add the coconut and fry the mixture for a minute.

Then grind this fried mixture into a fine paste by adding water. Consistency should be as shown below.

Now heat about 3 tbsp of oil in a vessel. Put the remaining chopped onions and stir them till they are just about to turn brown.

After this add the ground masala to the onions and stir fry on a medium flame.

Now add all the vegetables and peas. Add ½ cup of water and let it come to a boil.

Now add the soaked rice, salt and add the remaining water. Mix it well and bring it to a boil on a high flame. Then put it on a low flame and cover the vessel with a lid. (Please refer Krishnaveni’s recipe i.e. Vegetable pulav using home made masala for preparing the pulav in a pressure cooker.)

Keep mixing the pulav in between so that it doesn’t get charred underneath. After the rice is cooked, pulav is ready to be served. You can serve the pulav with choley or salad/raita :)

To make raita
I prepared the raita using only tomatoes, onions and coriander leaves. You can add even cucumber.

Ingredients (For 4 servings)
1 large onion
1 large tomato
¾ cup of chopped coriander leaves
3-4 glasses/cups of thick curd
Salt to taste

Method
Mix all the ingredients mentioned above well. Serve it with the pulav.

Here was the recipe of pulav. Hope you enjoyed it :) And thanks a ton to Krishnaveni Nalka.I am inspired by her :)

Happy cooking till I write again :)

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