Vegetable Pulao (Pulav) | One Pot Meal | Lunch Box Ideas

Vegetable pulao is a simple one pot meal that can be put together with the your favorite veggies of your choice.I personally love making this biriyani for two good reasons.My younger one is a picky eater and so making him this for lunch box serves the purpose of feeding him with a simple raitha which he loves to eat.But in all the other forms,its hard to make him eat veggies.Secondly,this becomes easier to make for a weekend lunch when am lazy to make elaborate dishes.I usually use beans,carrots and green peas to make this pulao and make it milder as far as spice is concerned(you can increase spices as per tolerance).I will be explaining two ways of making this pulao and you can use whichever is comfortable to your family.I couldn't click any step by step pics as it was again a weekend menu and I hardly get time to click step by step pics then.I have used the first method to cook the pulao in pics but I definitely use the other method as well frequently.The only difference that I found between the two methods is that the first one is a longer process but the grains are separate and the texture is very good.The second one is shorter but the grain gets slightly mushier.However, both the recipes are very simple which is easy to understand without pics too.Try and enjoy !!

Preparation time~ 30 minutes
Cooking time ~30 minutes 
Serves~4-5 adults
Recipe source~own

Ingredients
basmati rice 1.5 cup
water 3 cups
whole masala(cinnamon 1" stick,cloves 3,cardamom 2,star anise 2 petals,bay leaves 2,whole pepper corn 1/2 tsp)
salt to taste

onion 1 large sliced ;half moon size
beans 1/2 cup
carrots 2 medium/ 1/2 cup chopped
peas 1/2 cup
turmeric powder 1/2tsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp
pepper powder 3/4 tsp
oil 2tbsp

to grind
mint leaves 5-6
coriander leaves 2-3 sprigs
green chilly 1
ginger 1" piece
garlic 2 cloves

for garnish
cashews 1tbsp
raisins 1tbsp
ghee 1tbsp

Method

• Heat ghee in a pan and add the cashews,fry them lightly followed by raisins.Drain on  a plate and reserve the ghee.
• Wash and soak the rice in water for 20 minutes.Drain the rice and use the water for cooking the rice(retains nutritional value).
• Heat the same pan with ghee and add the rice.Fry lightly and then switch off flame.

 FIRST METHOD

• Heat a cooker and add water (3 cups).You can use soaked water plus more water as required.Add the whole garam masala and add salt.Add the rice and cook covered on medium flame until all water is absorbed.
• Heat another pan and oil.When the oil is hot,then add in sliced onions and saute until translucent and slightly browned.
• In the meantime,grind the ingredients listed 'to grind' to a smooth paste with little water.
• Add the paste to the sauteed onions.Saute until the raw smell disppears.Add in the spice powders and then add in the beans,carrots and peas.Toss it well and  then add 1/2 cup water.Add salt,mix and cook covered for 5-6 mins until the veggies get cooked well and water is absorbed 3/4 th.
• Now,layer the cooked rice on top with chopped cilantro and mint leaves,fried cashews and raisins.Cover with a tight lid and leave covered on low flame for 10 minutes.
• Mix well after 10 minutes and then serve warm.

SECOND METHOD

• Heat the pan with the remaining ghee,add oil to it.Add whole spices,fry until fragrant and then add in sliced onions and then followed by the ground paste.Saute until raw smell disappears.Add in the spice powders,toss well and add the chopped veggies,saute well.
• Add 4 cups of water and salt.Let the water come to a boil.Now,add the rice and cook covered until the water is abosorbed completely and the vegetables gets cooked.Fluff with a fork and then add in the fried cashews,raisins,chopped cilantro and mint leaves.Serve warm with raitha.

NOTES
* The pulao is mild in spices so add spices(increase green chillies or pepper powder) as per tolerance.
* I usually use more vegetables than required just to sneak in more veggies for kids,so adjust accordingly when you make pulao.
* I cut the beans slightly at an angle and thinner to get cooked faster but you can chop as required.Also,I chop the carrots very small to match with beans.
* You can use potatoes,cauliflower,broccoli,sweet corn or any other vegetables too.

For more rice/pulao recipes,click here.

Quinoa Mango Yogurt Parfait | Healthy Snacks

Parfait is a french word meaning 'perfect'.This is a frozen dessert made from base of sugar syrup,egg and cream.However,this is a protein packed healthy parfait made with quinoa and yogurt and topped with mango.This is a perfect summer treat for kids and all age groups.This can be given as a after school snack for kids and you can always try out with different varieties of fruits and dry fruits,nuts.Quinoa is considered world's healthiest foods and so this is a filling snack or can be served as a healthy dessert too.Use greek yogurt or hung curd for best results.Enjoy this simple and healthy recipe!

Other Quinoa recipes from this space-
Quinoa idlis
Quinoa Veg Pulao

Preparation time~10 minutes
Cooking time~15 minutes
Serves 4 cups
Recipe source~500 quinoa recipes
Ingredients
quinoa 1/2 cup
water 1 cup
yogurt(preferably greek yogurt) 1.5 cups
pecans 1tbsp
raisins 1tbsp
mango 1 chopped small
honey 2tbsp-3tbsp

Method

• Boil a cup of water and add the rinsed quinoa.Simmer on medium heat and let it cook for 10-12 minutes until well cooked and the water is absorbed.
• Mix the cooked quinoa with honey well.Keep aside.

• Layer each glass(4) with yogurt(2tbsp) then add chopped pecans and raisins.Then add the next layer of quinoa(about 2tbsp) in each glass.Again,add a layer of yogurt and top with pecan and raisins.Finally finish with chopped mango garnish.
• Cover and cool in  refrigerator.Serve chilled.

NOTES

* You can add sugar to sweeten the yogurt too but we like it plain.

* You can also layer the mangoes in between too.

* If you wish you can omit the dry fruits and nuts or use different nuts and dry fruits of your choice.

Amiri Khaman (Khamani) | Gujarati Savory Snack | Left Over Dhokla Snack

The other day I was watching a video in National Geographic where they show the Haitians making 'dirt cookies' and feeding themselves on those just to fight hunger.These dirt cookies are nothing but mud,salt stirred in with some shortening which are flattened as cookies and left in the hot sun to dry for 2-3 days.This then dries up and they sell it in the near by towns and feed their family.The dirt has all parasites and toxins and has no nutritional value.That's the plight of human beings in that part of the world where they don't even get one full healthy meal a day.I really hope for a better tomorrow for them with a healthy balanced diet.I'm thankful to God for providing us a better place to live.I hate wasting a morsel of food and so always try out ways to use up left overs.
Today's snack is all about left over dhokla.Amiri Khaman(Khamani is also the name of this snack as per my gujju frenz) is a Gujarati snack made with left over Dhokla.I usually don't end up having left overs with dhokla but that day,kids had a birthday party and so they were full and so weren't in a mood to have snacks and that's how I ended up having left over dhokla.Just like any other food blogger would agree with me,my search began which finally gave results too.To be frank,I knew nothing about this snack unless I saw it here.Am glad that I gave that a try and its really a great remake of dhokla and kids really loved more than dhokla like upma sprinkled with sugar.I think next time kids would definitely ask for making dhoklas just to convert to amiri khaman.This is a simple guilt free snack that you can make with very less oil and enjoy !!

Preparation time~10 mins
Cooking time~2 mins
Serves ~2-3 adults
Recipe source~here
Ingredients
dhokla 8-10
grated coconut 2tbsp
pomegranate seeds  2tbsp
sev 3tbsp
chopped cilantro/coriander leaves chopped 2tbsp
powdered sugar 1tbsp

to temper 
oil 1tbsp
mustard seeds 1tsp
green chillies finely chopped 2
garlic sliced 1clove/1 tsp
asafoetida powder/kayam podi/ hing 1/8 tsp

Method

• Crumble the dhokla in a bowl,keep aside.(If you are using left over refrigerated dhokla then steam the dhokla first and then crumble.Helps to soften the dhoklas)
• Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds.Add in the sliced garlic and green chillies.Saute until green chillies gets wilted.Switch off flame.
• Mix the tempering with the crumbled dhokla.Add in pomegranate seeds,grated coconut and chopped cilantro and powdered sugar.
• Add the sev finally(I haven't used) when you serve as it may turn soggy.

NOTES
*The original recipe calls for 1tbsp each of pomegranate seeds and grated coconut but I used more as I didn't use sev.
*I used sugar only for kids and tastes great without sugar too as dhokla has mild sweetness.

If you have any of the below mentioned left overs,remake them in a healthy snack -
*overcooked rice-crispy rice balls
*left over dosa batter-kuzhi paniyaram, Punugulu
*left over idlis-idli upma, Baked Idli fry
*left over cooked rice-lemon rice, egg fried rice

Masala Biscuits | Kerala Bakery Style Masala Biscuits | Eggless Garam Masala Cookies(Step by Step Pics)

Masala biscuit is a famous cookie(biscuit) from bakeries in Kerala.I loved munching them so much back in Kerala but staying away from home reminds us of the tempting foods.Few weeks back,one of my friend reminded me of the cookie and we were just talking about them.She wished to have the recipe and enquired me if the khara biscuits(I posted sometime back) tasted the same too.However,the khara biscuits tasted different from the kerala style bakery biscuits.As a blogger,I started trying out these cookies with my own experiments and to my surprise,my first experiment was soft cookies like nankhatai because I used more of butter and I had used 1tsp salt which was slightly more.Correcting all first errors,the second trial is here which was 100% taste wise satisfactory but the color wasn't the same,probably the bakeries add color and the texture wasn't all crunchy instead was slightly softer(may be an increase in temp of 5 mins may yield it crunchier and use all purpose flour).I was very happy with both experiments as it was a total trial and error;the results were very good.Do give this a try and enjoy !!

Recipe source :own
Preparation time~20 mins
Baking time~ 14-18 mins
Serves~ 20 biscuits
Ingredients
wheat flour 1 1/4 cup
baking soda 1/4 tsp
baking powder 1/2 tsp
powdered sugar 4 tsp
unsalted butter(at room temp.) 4tbsp
oil 1tbsp
*garam masala 3/4 tsp
pepper powder 1/4 tsp
nutmeg powder 1/4 tsp
dry ginger powder 1/4 tsp
black sesame seeds 1 tsp
milk 2-3tbsp
salt 3/4 tsp

to grind
mint leaves 8-10
ginger 2" piece
green chilly 1 or 2

Method 

• In a wide bowl,sift the wheat flour,baking powder,baking soda,salt,sugar,dry ginger powder,*garam masala,cinnamon powder,nutmeg powder twice.Mix well with a whisk.
• Add in the sesame seeds.In the meantime,grind the mint leaves,ginger and green chillies with very little water(about 2tbsp).Add this ground mix along with softened butter,oil  and start kneading.Add milk as required to bring the dough together.Knead like for chapathis and then roll in a cylindrical shape(15 cm in length & 2" round).Cover it tightly with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour-2 hours.

• After refrigeration,pre heat oven to 350 degrees F and line two trays with parchment paper.
• Cut the log in between 1/8"-1/4" thick and place each slice on the tray separating with a 1"space.Makes about 20 cookies.
• Place and bake in pre heated oven for 14-18 mins or until the base look slightly browned.Flip all cookies and bake for another 5 mins(If you wish to have crunchy cookies)
• Cool on wire rack and serve with tea or store in air tight containers,stays fresh for 2 weeks.

NOTES
* Whole garam masalas-cinnamon 2",cloves 2,cardamom 2,star anise 3 petals(not flower),warm this up in a pan and fine powder in a blender to get the garam masala powder.
* Use tender ginger so that fibers are less.
* Add in a sprig of curry leaves too if you love the flavors.
* Use all purpose flour or maida to get the crunchier texture too.

Related Posts
Butter Cashew Biscuits(Good Day)
Jeera Biscuits (Cumin Cookies) 
Indian Tea Rusk(Milk Rusk)
Almond Cookies
Cashew Biscuits
Nankhatai (eggless)
Oreo cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cups (Step by Step Pics)

Salted caramel cheesecake cups is a rich cheesecake that melts in the mouth with a salted caramel sauce.This month Baking Partner's recipe was suggested by Tamy@ Savory Kitchen Table.Thanks Tamy and Swathi for the recipe,it was delicious.This recipe is very simple with a few ingredients.However, if you count on calories then I must tell you it is very rich,silky and smooth.Perfect for dessert cups for parties,enjoy making these at home.

Preparation time~ 15 minutes
Baking time~20 minutes
Serves ~ 6 ramekins
Ingredients
cream cheese 8 oz(1/2 lb)
sour cream 1/2 cup
eggs 2
granulated sugar 1/2 cup

for caramel
whipping cream 1/2 cup
butter 3tbsp
light corn syrup 6 tbsp
sugar 1/2 cup
salt 1/2 tsp

Method

• Pre heat oven to 325 degrees F and arrange 6-8 ramekins(I used 6 small ramekins) in a baking tray,add water up the midway to the ramekins.
• In a large mixing bowl,beat the sugar and cream cheese at medium speed until smooth.
• Add eggs one by one,incorporating well.Beat in the sour cream.
• Fianlly,pour in the ramekins and bake in the center of the oven for 15-20 minutes until the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly.

• Turn off the oven and leave in oven for an hour.Then,cool on  wire rack completely.Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight preferably.
• In the mean time,prepare the salted caramel.In a heavy sauce pan,heat the corn syrup.
• Stir in sugar and cook over moderately high heat undisturbed until a deep amber color is formed.
• Turn off heat and carefully stir in butter with a long spoon(be careful as the mixture is very hot).The butter may split.
• Now,add the whipping cream as a thin stream stirring constantly until smooth.Add salt and mix well.
• Leave to cool and then pour over the cheesecakes to serve.

NOTES
 * If you don't like salted caramel,omit salt and prepare.But salt adds a nice flavor to the cheesecake.
* You can use any ramekin of your choice.Depending on the size,the number of ramekins may vary.

Linking this for Baking Partners hosted by  Swathi@ Zesty South Indian Kitchen 

Baked Idli Snack | Crispy Idli Fry | Healthy Snack

Idli is a common South Indian breakfast or tiffin item that every household makes atleast once a week.They are considered world's healthiest foods as well.They are easy to digest,steam cooked and perfect for all age groups.I make idlis once or twice a week and kids love this breakfast too.But at times,if you have left over idlis from morning breakfast and kids don't wish to have the same in the evening,then go ahead and make some idli upma or make this super tempting snack.Idli upma was a frequent one at home since my childhood, but this one was an interesting snack they loved.The wedges are nicely baked,crispy ones.We love having it with guacamole but you can always have with ketchup too.Above all,this is baked and so uses very less oil and you get a yummy snack ready in minutes !!

Preparation time~5 minutes
Baking time~20 minutes
Serves~ 32 wedges
Ingredients
idlis 8
chilly flakes 1/2-3/4 tsp
cumin powder 1/4 tsp
chaat masala 1/2 tsp
asafoetida /hing/kayam a pinch
salt a pinch
oil(preferably sesame oil) 2tbsp

Method

• Cut the made idlis in four pieces or wedges(as in pic).Mix the spices,salt and oil in a bowl and add the idli pieces or wedges in the bowl to coat the spice masala.

• Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F or 190 degrees C and arrange the pieces or wedges as a single layer.
• Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes on one side or slightly browned.Then flip and turn the other side and bake for another 10 minutes or until crisp on all sides(The browning can be increased as per personal preference.Increase the baking time to another 2 or 3 mins more).
• Remove on a plate and cool slightly,serve with ketchup or guacamole.

NOTES
* If you don't have chaat masala,add few drops of  lemon juice works good.
* You can add any of the chutney powders like idli milagu podi or chammanthi podi and make too.
* Add chilly flakes as per tolerance.
* Idli has salt in it so just add a pinch or as per tastes.
* If you don't have an oven,then shallow fry them in non stick pan and enjoy.


Related Posts
Ammini Kozhukattai
Idli Upma 
Guacamole

Kerala Style Mutta Curry | Egg Curry with Coconut Milk(Step by Step Pics)

Egg curry is made in a number of ways in Kerala, and this one is how my mom makes as a side for paalappams, idiyappams.I grew up tasting this curry and so make this curry very often, and that's the delay behind posting this recipe so late at my space too.I always postpone posting those recipes that I make frequently as it's well versed and don't need much of writing down.Now, it's been quite some time since I haven't posted any egg recipes.This curry pairs well with vellayappam(paalappam), kallappam, whole wheat paalappam and even chapathis.I make it for chapathis and all love it.There is addition of potatoes in this curry that adds substance to the curry along with eggs and gravy.Kids like this curry with appams and chapathis as there is no much spice in it, and they have their favourite potatoes too.Try and enjoy !!

Watch Idiyappam & Mutta Curry combo, click here.

Preparation time~20 minutes
Cooking time~20 minutes
Serves ~4
Ingredients
eggs/mutta 3-4
onion 1; half moon sliced thin
ginger finely chopped 2 tsp
green chillies/pachamulakku 3 vertical slit
potato/urulakizhangu 1 large or 2 medium cubed
coriander powder/malli podi 1.5- 2 tbsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder/manjal podi 1/4 tsp
fenugreek powder/uluva podi 1/4 tsp
coconut milk/thengapaal,thin 1.5-2 cups
coconut milk/thengapaal thick 1/2 cup
curry leaves, a sprig/thandu
oil (preferably coconut oil) 1tbsp
salt to taste

to temper
shallots 3 sliced thin
curry leaves few
coconut oil 1 tbsp

Watch on YouTube-

Method

• Place the eggs in cold water upto 1" high in a sauce pan(add a tsp of salt, helps to remove shell faster) and bring to a boil.Let it boil from 6 to 10 minutes.Six minute gives a custard egg yolk, whereas 10 minute gives hard-boiled eggs.Set aside for 5 minutes and then drain the boiling water.Add cold water to the eggs, leave for 10 minutes(I usually crack the peel slightly and then add in cold water, which sometimes helps to get a clean boiled egg).Peel skin, wash and leave aside.
• Heat a pan and add oil.Add in the ginger-garlic paste/finely chopped and sauté for a minute.Then slide in the onions, green chillies and curry leaves.Sauté until onion turns translucent.
• In the meantime, add the coriander powder and garam masala powder in a blender jar with a tbsp of water and grind till smooth (mom uses ammi kallu for this)

• Add a pinch of turmeric powder, the ground masala.Sauté until the raw smell disappears.Add the thin coconut milk with potatoes.
• Cover and cook for 7–8 mins on medium flame or till potatoes gets nicely cooked. Mash the potatoes once they are cooked roughly, adds to the volume of the gravy.
• Add in the second milk now if you are using freshly extracted *coconut milk(I have used canned milk and so diluted accordingly and used 2 cups together).Simmer for another 3 minutes.
• Adjust salt if required, add the thick coconut milk and then switch off flame.Add the fenugreek powder, mix well and keep covered.
• Slice the eggs/make slits in the eggs and slide them in the curry.Pour the gravy over them so that the flavours gets seeped in the eggs.
• Heat another pan and add oil for tempering.Add sliced shallots and curry leaves when hot.Sauté until the shallots turn pinkish brown.Turn off heat and pour over the curry.Serve warm after 5 mins with appam /chapathis.

(UPDATED PIC)

NOTES
* I use homemade garam masala which has pepper powder in it.But if you use any others, then add 1/4 tsp of pepper powder too.
* The main spice in this curry is from the green chillies, so add as per tolerance.
* Fenugreek powder adds flavour to the curry.If you don't use fenugreek powder, then use fenugreek seeds.Use along with tempering and add to the curry.

* Use 3/4 grated coconut to extract the 1.5 cups thin coconut milk and 1/2 cup thick coconut milk if using freshly grated coconut. Refer this link here for extracting coconut milk.

Related Posts 
* Kerala Style Egg Roast
* Egg Curry
* Mutta Aviyal

Mango-Strawberry Smoothie | Breakfast Smoothie (Sugarless) & Saturday Snapshots !!

Breakfast smoothies are really fast and quick options that you can try on busy days.You just got to have a few chopped fruits ready at hand and blend.Voila! your smoothie is ready.This is best for people who skip their breakfast.We generally don't skip breakfast but a glass of smoothie with breakfast also is filling.I have a few other healthy suggestion that I frequently try out- avocado milk shake,strawberry-banana-oats smoothie and they really taste delicious and filling too.Strawberries are powerful anti oxidants and have anti inflammatory properties too.Mangoes are a rich source of vitamin A,vitamin B6,vitamin C and vitamin E.They are also a good source of potassium.The best part of this smoothie is that everyone loved it,which rarely happens at home.There may be small chunks of mangoes left over after blending which is okay to bite.I had a few small pieces in mine too and my elder son's response at this feature was some of the mango pieces survived the crush of the blades in the blender,ha ha..I couldn't click step by step pics as mornings are always busy.This is a very tasty and rich smoothie that you can try in this mango season and enjoy!!

Preparation time~15 minutes
Serves~3 cups

Ingredients
strawberry 5-6 large
mango 1 large
milk 1 cup
yogurt 1/2 cup

This month the theme for Saturday Snapshots was to click smoothies and juices and here is mine.Hope you liked the pouring shot !!

Method

• Wash,peel and chop the mangoes in small pieces.Add in the blender.
• Add the strawberries too.Blend until smooth with the addition of half cup milk.
• Now,gradually add yogurt and remaining milk.Pour in glasses and refrigerate for one hour,if you love it chilled(I used frozen strawberries and refrigerated fresh mango,so skipped refrigerating the smoothie).
• Enjoy the delicious smoothie to start the day !!

NOTES
* The smoothie was sweet enough for all of us and so I haven't added any sugar in it.
* Choose ripe sweet mangoes to make this smoothie,else you will end up adding sugar or honey.

Sending this to Saturday Snapshots hosted by Shweta @ Merry Tummy

Eggless Carrot Muffins | Healthy Muffins(No butter,Wheat flour)

Carrots are rich in beta carotene which are metabolized to vitamin A.They are also an excellent source of vitamin K,vitamin B6 and other essential nutrients.Kids love carrots and so feeding them carrots is not a big affair at my home.However,I know few other kids may not consent to this so well.For them,this is a good option to sneak in muffins or cakes and enjoy watching them.My kids love carrot bakes as well.I had earlier posted a carrot cake which they love the most.These carrot muffins are eggless and is made with wheat flour that makes it all the more healthy.Kids demanded icing for the muffins and I had some store brought icing after a school fun project so just used that.I just covered a few with icing and remaining were served just like that.This is a simple bake recipe that hardly requires any gadgets other than the whisk.Try these for kids for after school snack or just for school snacks.Do try and enjoy !!

Preparation time~15 minutes
Baking time~20 minutes
Serves ~12 muffins
Ingredients
wheat flour 1 1/2 cups
baking powder 1 1/4 tsp
baking soda  1/2 tsp
salt 1/8 tsp
yogurt  3/4 cup
granulated sugar 3/4 cup
vanilla extract 1 tsp
cinnamon 1/2 tsp
apple sauce unsweetened 2/3 cup
water 1/2 cup
oil 1/2 cup
carrots 2 medium sized or 1 cup grated
walnuts chopped 1/3 cup 

Method

• Sift the flour,baking powder,baking soda,cinnamon,salt.Combine well. 
• Now,mix the yogurt and granulated sugar until sugar gets dissolved.Add in the vanilla extract.Add the unsweetened apple sauce(If you plan to prepare your own apple sauce,then do now).And finally add the oil.
• Add the grated carrots to the dry ingredients.Then,gradually add the dry ingredients in the wet mixture with the addition of milk(add the dry in three batches).You may not require the whole milk mentioned in the recipe (I used 1/2 cup,but that totally depends on water content in yogurt).The batter may not be ribbon consistency but slightly thicker. 

• Pre heat oven to 350 degree Fand line a 12 muffin tray with baking cups.
• Finally,fold in the chopped walnuts and reserve a few for garnish if you don't want to use icing.
• Pour spoonful of batter in muffins cups upto 3/4 th full.

 

• Place and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes(mine was done at 20 minutes) or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  
• Cool on wire rack and enjoy !!

 

NOTES
*You can use butter instead of oil for added flavor.In that case,use a stick of butter or 113gms or you can divide butter and oil.
* Grate one apple and cook with 1/4 cup water until soften in a pan.Blend and puree in a blender to make apple sauce.You can use store brought unsweetened apple sauce too.
* You can use any nuts of your choice but that definitely adds the extra crunch.
* These muffins stays good in refrigerator for 3 days.Thaw before serving or microwave on high for 10 seconds.
* Use all purpose flour/maida for a lighter texture.In that case use only 1 tsp of baking powder. 

For all muffin recipes,check here.

Just a peek inside,

Mathanga Payaru Erissery | Pumpkin-Black Eyed Peas Masala(Step by Step Pics)

In another couple of days,the schools are closing down for summer vacations.Kids are all excited to blast however moms have to settle them tactfully and smartly.I know that many moms would have already enrolled them for some summer camps and activities.My kids love to refresh their time in the swimming pools,riding bikes and some indoor fun.They have already demanded many edibles too as part of their fun.Though am excited about summer vacations as to have lazy mornings but at the same time under pressure to handle them the whole day like teachers do at school.Anyways,every mom has to tackle this every year.Coming back to today's post is a pumpkin curry from God's own country,Kerala.This is an important dish especially in sadyas but I generally make it just like that as regular menu too.Traditionally,red oriental beans(vanpayaru) is used but I have used black eyed peas(lobia) to avoid the soaking part and this made it much more easier.i have already posted a mathanga curry post sometime back which is just made plain without any beans in it,check out if you are interested.Pumpkin adds a sweet touch to the curry,do give it a try !!

Preparation time~15 minutes
Cooking time~30 mins
Serves ~4-5
Ingredients
pumpkin cubed 1.5 cups
*black eyed peas/lobia 1/2 cup,uncooked
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

to coarsely grind
grated coconut 1/2 cup
cumin seeds/jeerakam 1/2 tsp
garlic clove 1
*green chillies 1 or 2
shallots 1 or 2

to temper
coconut grated  3tbsp
red dry chillies 2
curry leaves a sprig
shallots sliced 2 or 3
mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
oil(preferably coconut oil ) 1tbsp

Method

• Wash and pressure cook the black eyed peas in a cooker with enough water,turmeric powder and salt.Wait till 3 whistles on high heat and then switch off flame.
• Now,add the pumpkin pieces to the cooker once pressure is released and then check water if required(Pumpkin leaves out water when cooked so add just 1/4 water if required to cook the pumpkin).

• Pressure cook for 2 whistles and then switch off flame.In the mean time,grind coarsely the ingredients listed under  'to grind coarse' (without adding any water).Once the cooker is open,mash up the pumkin pieces using the back of the spoon or poato masher gently.now,add the mixture and bring this to a boil for 2 minutes.Switch off flame.
• Heat oil in  another pan and add mustard seeds.When it splutters,add red dry chillies,sliced shallots and then finally add in grated coconut.Saute until the coconut gets roasted and a nice aroma spreads.Switch off the flame and pour this over the curry.Keep covered for 10 mins and then serve with steamed rice !!

NOTES
* You can use the same amount of red oriental beans (vanpayaru) instead of black eyed peas.In that case,soak the vanpayaru for about 6 hours or overnight in water.Then pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
* Use green chillies depending on spice tolerance.You can even add chilly powder instead of green chillies.
* I have used green winter squash for this recipe.

For all Kerala sadya recipes,click here.