Schezwan Fried Rice - with Homemade Schezwan sauce

Ingredients:
For fried rice:
1. Rice - 100 gms
2. Carrot - 1/2 cup- finely chopped
3. Beans - 1/2 cup finely chopped
4. Capsicum - 1/2 cup finely chopped
5. Cabbage - 1/2 cup finely chopped
6. Onion - 1/2 cup finely chopped
7. Baby corn - 1/2 cup finely chopped
8. Spring onion - 1/2 cup
9. Salt - as required
10. Sugar - 1 tbsp
11. Oil - 2 tbsp

For Schezwan Sauce:
1. Red chiili - 7-8 Nos
2. Garlic - 5 cloves finely chopped
3. Onion - 2 tbsp
4. Salt - as required
5. Sugar - 1 tsp
6. Oil - 2 tbsp


Method:

1. Cook rice and spread it on a  wide vessel and allow it to cool.

For Schezwan Sauce:

2. Bring about 100 gms of water to boil and soak the red chillies in hot water for 20 mins
3. After 20 mins , add it to a mixture and grind it into a smooth paste.

4. In a pan, add 2 tbsp of oil and add the chopped garlic. Let the oil get heated along with the garlic , by this way the aroma of garlic infuses into the oil.

5. Wait for the garlic becomes beautiful golden brown and then add the onion. 

6. Wait for the onion to become golden brown. add some salt for quicker browning. Once the onion is beautiful golden, add the ground chilli paste.

7. Add two tablespoons of water, add the required salt for the sauce and allow it to boil. the chilli should cook in the heat and oil.

8. After couple of minutes of continuous stirring, the sauce starts to thicken. add sugar now. allow it to cook further.

9. Once the sauce gathers into a nice ball, remove it off the heat. the consistency is very important. it should be nice, thick, paste.

For rice:

10. Add oil to a pan.(I used the same pan in which I made the sauce.) Once the oil is hot, add onions.

11. Saute until the onions start becoming translucent. Add all the veggies, except the spring onion.

12. Add the salt required for the veggies and cook for a couple of minutes.

13. Add some sugar now, so that the veggies do not change color.

14. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes. once the veggies are steamed until soft, add the schezwan sauce.

15. Mix well, until the sauce is completely incorporated into the veggies.

16. Add rice. Mix well. Do a taste test and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with Spring onion.

17. Serve hot 

Carrot Dosai - Crispy, Fresh and flavorful Dosai.

Ingredients:
1. Left over dosai batter - 2 cups

To Grind:
2. Grated carrot - 1 cup
3. Grated coconut -2 table spoon
4. Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
5. Jeera powder - 1 tsp
6. Garam Masala - 1 tsp
7. Hing - 1 tsp
8. Salt - as required.

Method:

1. Add  a ladle of batter to a mixer and then add all the ingredients under the 'To grind.' column and grind into a smooth paste

2. Mix the ground mixture to the rest of the batter. Mix thoroughly and adjust the consistency.

3. Smear some oil on the Dosai tawa, spread the batter and cook it very much like the usual dosai.

Mushroom Pulao - Simple and yummy rice recipe.

The below measurements make 2 large or 3 medium servings.

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 200 gms
2/ Mushroom - 200 gms
3. Onion - 2 medium -sliced.
5. Green chillies - 6 nos - finely chopped.
6. Ginger garlic paste- 11/2 tablespoon
7.Bay leaf - 2 Nos
8. Cinnamon stick- 2 nos
9. Cardamom - 2 nos
10. Star anise - 1 nos
11. Black pepper - 4 nos
12. Salt - to taste'
13. Oil - 2 tbsp.

Method:

1. Wash the rice well until the water runs clear. Add the required quantity of water for cooking. I added 175 ml of water. add salt to taste and the whole spices. My family likes it spicy, so apart from the finely chopped green chillies, which I would be adding later, I have added 2 slit green chillies to the raw rice.

2. Pressure cook the rice for three - four whistles on medium flame.

3. Discard the whole spices off the cooked rice. I have retained pepper alone, for additional heat.

4. Add two table spoons of oil in a pan.

5. Once hot add the sliced mushrooms and finely chopped green chillies.

6. Add some salt to quicken the cooking process. 

7. Once the onion starts browning, add the ginger garlic paste.

8. Mix well and saute for 3-4 mins until the raw flavor of the ginger garlic paste goes off.

9. Add the diced mushroom.

10. Add a dash of salt , so that the mushroom starts leaving out its water.

11. Keep frying it on medium flame. A couple of minutes later, all you would find is a soggy, watery half cooked mushroom. Mushroom starts leaving out its moisture as it starts cooking. at one point of time, it leaves out all of its moisture content and when you further cook it, the water starts drying out and mushroom starts getting fried.

12. Keep frying for few more minutes. by this time the mushroom would have given out almost all of its moisture content. my Mushrooms looked like below, almost 7 minutes after adding them. 

13. Keep frying until all the moisture is evaporated. the pan should be completely devoid of any liquid, as shown below.

14. Make sure there is no water left out, before adding the rice. 

15. Add the cooked rice. please remember, we have added salt while cooking the rice, also for the onions and mushroom. so add the rice and mix well. please taste for seasoning. If you feel like adding some salt,please go ahead. 

16. Mix well and serve hot. 

Ragi Paratha - Dieter's choice

Ingredients:

1. Ragi flour - 50 gms
2. Wheat flour - 70 gms.
3. Tofu - 50 gms
4. Carrot - 50 gms - grated
5. Chayote(Chowchow) - 20 gms - grated
6. Beans - 8 nos - finely chopped
7. Onion - one small- finely chopped
8. Green chillies- 2 nos - Optional
9. Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
10. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
12.Salt - to taste
13. Corinader leaves
14. Hing - 1/2 tsp
15. Oil- 1 tsp+ 2 tsp.
16. Lime juice - 3-5 drops.


Method:

1. Take the ragi flour, wheat flour and add required salt for the dough and mix well.

2. Add required water and knead the dough to a smooth ball.

3. Crumble the tofu well. Chop/Grate the vegetables.

4. In a pan add just 1 tsp of oil or ghee. 

5. Once the oil is hot add the onions.

6. Since we are not adding a lot of oil here, the onions will not brown beautifully. Don't step aside. the onions will burn. so keep saute-ing until the onions turn transparent.

7. Add the rest of the veggies and salt required for the veggies.

8. As we are trying to avoid any more oil addition, I recommend to cover and cook the veggies, until they are half done , by opening the lid and stirring them occasionally. I like it less spicy so I have not added any green chilli. If you prefer it spicy, add finely chopped green chillies now.

9. Once the veggies are half done - this might take 3-5 minutes, add the crumbled tofu.

10. Add all the dry spices - Turmeric, red chilli, hing and Garam masala powders. Add the coriander leaves.

11. Mix well and set aside to cool. Once cooled down to room temperature, add lime juice and  make medium lemon sized balls out of the filling mixture.

12. Make a small ball of the ragi-wheat dough.Dab it in some wheat flour, so that it is easy for rolling.

13. Roll it and make a thick roti of 5-6 inches diameter.

14. Place a ball of filling at the center.

15. Wrap the filling with the roti on all sides such that the filling is well covered.

16. Press it gently and dust it in wheat flour again.

17. Roll it with gentle hands, until you start seeing the impression of under lying filling.

18. Cook it on Tawa with 1 tsp of oil for each side. Since we cook with less oil, the Paratha might take 5-7 minutes to get cooked completely. Less oil More patience. :)

19. Serve hot with curd and pickle.