Healthy Christmas Pilaf

The countdown has already begun for Christmas. I am sure everyone is busy with shopping and getting ready to welcome guests and friends. There is so much activity around. Love the cold breeze that's the only sign of winter in my part of the world. Just love this climate and the festive season. With 2 celebrations around the corner let's gear up to enjoy every bit of it.

I know it's been a while I have been away from blogging. It's just that my family needed me more and blogging just took a back seat naturally. I am glad to be back but still will not be regular. Kindly bear with me dear readers and blogger friends. I will make up for everything soon.

For the time being let's enjoy this healthy version of pilaf. For all the health conscious friends around the world this is for you. Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS

Basmati Rice -2 cups

Vegetable stock - 3 cups

Onions - 4 finely sliced

Olive Oil - 2 tbsp

Coriander Powder - 2 tsp

Pistachios/ Cashew nuts - 100 gm

Coriander leaves- 1 cup finely chopped ( loosely packed)

Lime - 1

Pomegranates - 2 medium

To prepare Vegetable Stock

Water - 3 1/4 cups

Bay Leaf - 1

Onion - 1

Garlic - 5 whole

Ginger - 2 cm piece ginger, peeled but whole

Whole Pepper - 6

Carrot - 1/4 cup  chopped roughly

METHOD

Soak rice in water for 30 minutes and drain.

Halve the pomegranates and set the seeds aside.

To prepare the vegetable stock mix all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Strain the vegetable stock.

Pour 3 cups of vegetable stock in a kadai/pan. Reserve excess and add if required only.

Bring the stock to a boil and add salt .

Add rice. Do not stir. Cover and cook. When it comes to a boil reduce the flame to low and cook. After 10 minutes or when you see crates formed on top of the rice slowly stir it without breaking the rice. Cover and cook till rice is cooked and fluffy.

Heat a pan and lightly toast the cashews/pistachios. Reserve.

In a pan heat the olive oil. Add the coriander powder and stir well.

Add the onions and lemon juice. Stir fry till onions change colour and looks sticky. 

Add the onions, cashews/pistachios, coriander leaves and pomegranates to the rice and serve hot with Thai style vegetable stew.

Tips:

If the rice is not soaked for 30 minutes, more stock or water will be required to cook it.

To open the pomegranates without making it messy. Make deep slits from top to bottom on the pomegranates on all sides. Then fill a wide bowl with water. Now holding the pomegranates under water pull it open. Remove the white membrane. Now you will see that the seeds settle at the bottom and the white membranes float. Use a sieve to remove the floating parts. Pour out the water and there you have the lovely red seeds and no mess.

Merry Christmas!

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

A quick, easy and healthy soup…Sweet Corn Chicken Soup in Indian Style.

Among Chinese soups one of my kids’ favorite has been this soup. We used to order it every time we go to a restaurant. But once I started making this soup at home, kids love it more than the restaurant version. This is because at restaurants, sometimes the corn is hardly cooked or too much of corn flour is added.

Go ahead and try this one. Hot soups have many health benefits. Soups are easily digestible and best of all easy to feed toddlers and fussy eaters.  

Soups are prepared as an appetizer or cold remedy. Whatever be the reason, soups are considered to be healthy in almost all cultures. We get all the nutrients with half the calories!!! So why wait let’s get started..

INGREDIENTS

Recipe Source – Susy Aunt

Boiled and Shredded Chicken pieces	1 cup
Egg white	of 1 Egg
Oil	1 tbsp
Corn flour	1 tbsp
Chicken Stock	5 Cups
Cream Style Sweet Corn	1 tin
Salt	1 ½ tsp
Pepper Powder	¼ tsp
Spring Onion	1 tbsp
Corn Flour	4 tbsp diluted in 6 tbsp water
Eggs	2

METHOD

Beat the egg white and 1 tbsp corn flour together. Add 1 tbsp oil and mix the cooked chicken pieces in it.

Mash the sweet corn well.

Mix the sweet corn, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil.

Add the chicken pieces and keep stirring to avoid lumps.

Add the diluted corn flour.

Beat 2 eggs and keep aside.

When the soup mixture boils and the desired consistency is reached its time to pour the eggs.

Hold a fork on one hand. Pour the beaten eggs with your other hand from a height. This has to be done slowly. Keep stirring only to one side. Continue to stir till u finish adding the eggs. This way the egg cooks in strands. Turn off the heat.

Garnish with spring onions and serve hot!

Tips:

To cook chicken for this soup just add lots of water, pepper corns and salt to it. Pressure cook for 4 whistles. 

Strain the chicken stock and keep aside to be used while making the soup.

You can add baby corn too.

I used Ching’s Cream style Sweet Corn.

Adjust the corn flour as per your preference.

Ragi Rice Flour Puttu/ Combination Puttu/ Rice Flour Finger Millet Puttu

Puttu /Steamed Rice Flour cake is a famous Kerala Breakfast. But quite different from the ordinary puttu you all may have known/seen here is a healthier version of the Puttu- the Combination Puttu.Sounds good enough? :)

Ragi (Finger Millet) is well known for its health benefits. It is rich in Iron, minerals and protein.Finger Millets are tiny deep red grains with oodles of health benefits. And this puttu is an easy way to make kids have a healthy and yummy breakfast too!!

Rice Flour Ragi Puttu/ Combination Puttu/  Healthy Puttu

INGREDIENTS

Recipe Source: My sis in law - Nishna

Rice flour – 1 cup ( I used Malabar Puttu Powder)

Ragi Flour- 1 cup (I used Nirapara Ragi Puttu Powder)

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Water – 1 cup or as required

METHOD

Add salt to 1 cup of water. Sprinkle this water to the rice flour and mix till you reach breadcrumbs consistency. It should not be too dry. The right consistency is reached when you press little flour in your fist and it  forms a shape and not crumble off. Now take a separate bowl and mix the salt water with ragi flour.  Follow the same procedure. Now keep approximately 2 cups water to boil in the puttu maker. By the time the water boils fill the puttu candles. First add 1 tablespoon of coconut at the bottom then a layer of rice flour ( as in the picture) then again coconut and alternate it with ragi flour. Keep the Puttu candle on the steamer and steam the puttu (appox 5minutes). The steam will start coming out from the top of the puttu candle. Wait for 2 minutes and remove the candle from the steamer. Again wait for 2 minutes before you use a skewer and push the yummy steaming puttu to a plate. Serve this with ripe bananas-sugar-ghee combination or with Kadala (Brown Chickpea) Curry / other combination like Cherupayar curry/ Stu. For the non veggies puttu is a great combination with fish curry or even chicken curry!

Tips:
To make puttu flour at home:
Using raw rice: Soak raw rice for 1 hour. then drain away water well. Keep the rice in a strainer for some time so that all the water gets drained away. Then powder it in a dry mixer(no water at all). Then you need to fry the powder in a thick bottom pan. About 10-15 minutes till the vapor starts coming up and when you lift the powder with a ladle it should fall off easily and not stick to the laddle. But make sure you keep stirring.
Using boiled rice: With boiled rice  the puttu turns very soft. For this you need to soak for 1/2 hr max or only until the rice still breaks when u bite it. It should not get soaked more. Then dry it on a cloth. And follow the same procedure.

Cheera Upperi /Spinach Dry

Upperi/Thoran is a Kerala speciality which you can find in every Kerala house. We have an endless list of upperi's which is eaten with boiled rice. To name a few are Cheera (red/ green) Upperi, Long Beans Upperi, Long Gourd Upperi, Lady's finger Upperi, Cabbage Upperi, Beetroot Upperi, Ulli thandu Upperi, Vazhakkai (Raw Banana) Upperi, Thalolinga upperi...it goes on and on..

Cheera/Spinach  like other dark green veggies, is an excellent source of beta-carotene, a powerful disease-fighting antioxidant. It is rich in vitamins C & E. You should be careful not to overcook it as it may lose its vitamins.

INGREDIENTS

Spinach - 200 gm
Coconut- 1/2 cup
Chilly - 2 slit into half
Shallots- 3 chopped fine( or onion 1 medium)
Curry Leaves - 2 stalks
Chilly powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Coconut oil - 2 teaspoon
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Salt - As required

METHOD

Wash and drain spinach

Chop it fine.

Add salt, Chilly, Shallots/onions, chilly powder and mix well with hands for 2 minutes.

Heat oil in a kadai.

Add mustard and let it splutter. Add curry leaves.

Add the mixed Cheera/Spinach. Add a little less salt as it may become more once cooked. You can check and add more salt if required later.
Add the coconut.

Cover and cook till done. Do not overcook.
Serve hot with rice and curry.

Healthy Oil Free Vegetable Biriyani

Oil Free Vegetable Biriyani

Recipe adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana

Biriyani is one of India's flavourful and favorite dish. Usually lots of oil and ghee goes into its preparation which makes it high in calories. This one is a healthy, quick and easy recipe for those who love Biriyani's but avoid it due to its calories. 

INGREDIENTS

Basmati Rice	1 ½ cup
Green Cardamom	8
Black Cardamom	1
Cloves	15
Cinnamon	1 ½’ stick
Bay Leaf	1
Caraway Seeds(Shahi Jeera)	½ tsp
Onions(diced)	2 medium
Carrot(1/2’ pieces)	2 medium
French Beans	15
Cauliflower	12 florets
Green Peas( shelled)	1 cup
Ginger Garlic paste	1 ½ tbsp
Turmeric Powder	1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder	1 tbsp
Coriander Powder	1 tbsp
Yoghurt	½ cup
Rose Water	½ tsp
Tomato Puree	1 cup
Garam Masala Powder	1 tsp
Corriander Leaves	2 tbsp
Mint Leaves	2 tbsp
Salt	To taste

METHOD

Soak rice for ½ an hour.

Boil 4 cups of water. Add salt, 2 green cardamom, 5 cloves, ½ ‘  cinnamon and rice.

Cook till half done and strain.

Heat a non stick Kadai or pan. When heated add remaining green cardamom, black cardamom, clove, cinnamon, bay leaf and caraway seeds. Roast for 5 seconds.

Add diced onions, carrot, French beans, cauliflower florets and salt.

After 2 minutes add green peas and stir well. Cover and cook on medium flame for some time.

Add ginger garlic paste with  little water and stir well.

Add turmeric, red chilly and coriander powder. Stir and cook well. Remove the bay leaf.

In a small bowl, whisk yoghurt well with rose water and little water.

Add tomato puree along with ½ tsp garam masala and simmer for 2 minutes.

In a microwave safe deep bowl arrange a layer of rice. Pour half the vegetable mixture.

Lay another thin layer of rice and top it with garam masala, coriander and mint leaves, half of the yoghurt mixture.

Repeat the procedure.

Cover and cook in microwave on High 100% for 4-5 minutes and let it stand for 5- 10 minutes.

Serve hot with raita and chutney.

Beetroot Soup

Soups are easy to make and the best if you are trying to follow a healthy lifestyle. This soup has been a hit with all our guests at the resort. Try this yummy soup..

INGREDIENTS

Beetroot	5 Medium size
Shallots	5
Tomato	5 small size
Potato	3 Medium size
Coriander leaves	A handful
Water	8 glass
Salt	As required
Oil	1 teaspoon

METHOD

• Wash, peel beetroot and potato.
• Cut beetroot, potato and tomato into big pieces
• Pressure cook these vegetables with water.
• Strain water and keep aside.
• When cooled grind the pressure cooked vegetables to a nice paste.
• Chop shallots into small pieces.
• Heat oil in a pan and add shallots and fry for 5 seconds.
• Add the mixture and bring to a boil.
• Add the strained water to bring soup to the right consistency.
• Add salt and chopped coriander and serve hot.