FIELD BEANS RICE (MOCHAI SAADHAM)

This Rice is a spin-off of the classic kongunaadu paruppu saadham.

Ingredients:
Basmati Rice - 2 cups
Field Beans - 2 cups
Onion - 2 (medium, sliced)
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp
Red Chilly - 5 no
Green Chilly - 2
Cinnamon - 1
Cardamom - 4
Cloves - 4
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Coriander Leaves
Mint Leaves
Salt to taste
Oil - 125 ml
Water - 4 cups










Preparation:

• Soak the rice in hot water for at least half an hour.
• Heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.
  
• Add the red chilly and onion and saute well.
  
• After the onion becomes soft add the turmeric powder and the ginger garlic paste and saute well.
  
• Add the tomatoes and salt and cover it and cook for five mins until the tomatoes become soft.
  
• Add the field beans and mix well.
  
• Add the coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chilly and saute well until the oil separates out.
  
• Add the required amount of water (for one cup of rice add two cups of water) and salt and boil.
  
• When the water comes to a rolling boil add the drained rice and mix well. Cook the rice on high flame until the rice and water become equal. Then reduce the flame to very low and cover the pan tightly and keep a heavy weight over it. 
  
• Cook like this for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes switch off the flame and allow it to rest for another ten mins before opening.
  

The best combination for this rice is Pepper Chicken or Pepper Egg Gravy and Coconut Thuvayal.

GREEN APPLE PICKLE

Ingredients:
Green Apple - 4 (chopped)
Red Chilly Powder - 1 Tsp
Salt - 1 Tsp
Sugar - 2 Tsp
Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp

Whole Black Pepper - 1 tsp

Garlic - 10-12 cloves
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Sesame Oil - 1/2 cup

Vinegar 1/4 cup

Preparation:

• Chop the apples into bite size pieces.
  
  
• Add Salt, Chilly powder and Sugar to it a mix well.
  
  
• Dry roast the fenugreek seeds until a nice aroma comes and then cool it down. Grind it to a fine powder.
  
  
• Add the Fenugreek powder to the Apple and mix well.

• Heat the Sesame oil in a pan and add Mustard seeds. Once the Mustard seeds splutter add the black pepper and garlic. switch off the flame and add Hing and turmeric powder to it.

• Pour the oil into the Apple mixture and mix well. 

• Then add the vinegar and give it a mix. 

Tips:

1. The Pickle will taste better after 2-3 days.
2. Refrigerate the pickle after keeping outside for two days. Otherwise fungus Will appear as the Apple is not cooked. 
3. This Pickle is a very good alternative for mango pickle.

MASALA VADAI

Ingredients:

Chana Dal - 1 cup
Onion - 2 (medium size, finely chopped)
Coriander Leaves - a bunch (finely chopped)
Mint Leaves - 2 sprigs (finely chopped)
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs (finely chopped)
Fennel Seeds - 2 tsp
Red Chilly Powder - 1 Tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 Tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Preparation:

• Soak the chana dal overnight or preferably 5-6 hrs
• Drain the water from the dal and grind it along with fennel seeds into a coarse paste by adding very little water.
  
  
• Mix all the other ingredients and mix well using hands.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Deep fry the vadas in hot oil.
  
  .This Vadai is the perfect combination for Nombu Kanji.

Tips:

1. Grind the dal in two batches. Grind the first batches very roughly without adding water. Grind the next batch smoothly by adding little water. Mix well. This way you will get perfectly crisp yet soft vadas.
2. Mix the onion and leaves only before frying. Otherwise, the batter will become watery.
3. For crispy vadai do not shape the vadai. Just take some batter and drop it in oil without shaping.
4. For variations, spinach or drumstick leaves can be added instead of coriander and mint leaves.

NOMBU KANJI

Nombu kanji is a traditional food prepared in Tamilnadu during Ramadhan. This is a very nutritious and wholesome meal by itself. 

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Moong Dal - 1/3 cup

Onion - 1 medium size sliced

Garlic - 6 sliced

Carrot Cabbage Green Beans - 1 cup (finely chopped)

Coriander Leaves - a bunch (finely chopped)

Mint Leaves - finely chopped

Green Chillies -2

Coconut - 1/2 cup (shredded)

Cinnamon - 2 small piece

Cardamom - 4

Cloves - 4

Oil - 3 tsp (preferably coconut)

Salt to taste

Preparations:

• Soak the rice for at least two or three hours.
• Take the oil in a pressure cooker and heat it
  
• Once the oil is smoking hot add the cinnamon cardamom and cloves.
  
  Add the moong dal and fry in a very low flame. Do not brown the dal. 
  
• Add the sliced garlic and onion and saute it.
  
• Add all the vegetables, coriander leaves, mint leaves, and green chili and saute it well.
  
• Add four cups of water and let it boil.
  
•  once the water boils add the soaked rice and cook for 3 whistles in high flame and three whistles in low flame.
  
• Open the cooker and remove all the whole garam masala and green chillis
• Add salt and coconut and mash well until it becomes mushy.
  
  
  
•  Add required water to adjust the consistency to make it like a thick soup. Boil it once after adding water and switch off.
• Serve the kanji along with masala vadai or pakoda or bajji
  

Tips:

• Adding coconut oil will give a distinct flavor.
• Do not add salt before cooking. Add salt only after cooking before mashing.
• Add the coconut and mash well so that the coconut flavor will be infused well.
• Remove all the whole garam masala before mashing otherwise the smell will be overpowering.
• Be careful while frying the dal otherwise, it will brown really fast and the taste won't be perfect.